


Space Is Prettier When You Know You Have a Home To Return To

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Captivity, Female Pronouns for Reader, Female pronouns for Pidge, Galra Captivity, Multi, Slow Burn, also reader gets to experience Stabbing pretty early on so that's great, experimenting, keith sucks at expressing his emotions, nobody gives lance enough credit but that's about to change, pidge is always trying to do something, reader is a mess but it's ok, set after season one bc im a big wuss and i dont want shit to go down, the galra are assholes. what a fuckin surprise, voltron/reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2018-12-08 17:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11651415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: There's lots of opportunities that open up when traveling through space; the achievement of even getting the chance to do so is one of the most crucial. Once you're gone from a planet, you're a blank canvas- that's what she learnt the hard way.The Voltron crew had high hopes that the space renegade they found would bring important information and valuable assets- but when the so-called heavily armored rebel turns out to be a malnourished, abandon space runaway, the plan changes. Though it's not like this runaway can't bring value, and once the decision is made that she'll stay, and the crew gets close, tragedy strikes- and it takes too long to figure out what happened, and it's soon too late to reverse the damage.But Pidge, Lance and Keith are willing to try their best to fix the damage that's not engraved into her and her being.(aka the fic where pidge, lance and keith crush hard on a space runaway who sorta awkwardly plopped into the crew and when shit goes south fast these three are speeding to try and make it all not so terrible)





	1. Rusty Ships Floating In Space

“Allura, are you sure that ship is what we’re looking for?” Pidge inquired, looking at the image of an old cargo ship on the holo screen.

“Indeed. This ship has a symbol on it that indicates it’s part of a rebellion- or so it seems.” Explained Allura, zooming in on the picture.

The paladins looked closer at the image. In the ship’s hull, there was some Galra writing with an X over it. The symbol was quite faded and written in some sort of stylized writing, deviating from the usual Galran-typing enough for the translator not to scan it. 

“You see, while we may have missed Zarkon’s climb to power, we also missed the rise of rebellions against him,” explained Coran, one hand twirling his mustache. “We don’t have any information on the castle, but from speculation and such, we can assume this is one of those groups.”

Pidge raises her eyebrow, still unconvinced. Keith and Hunk seemed to be on edge about the so-called rebel ship, too, but Lance and Shiro seemed more ready to advance with the explanation.

“So, this rebel ship,” inquired Lance, “is it sending a distress signal or something? Are they stranded?” 

Allura shook her head, opening the map. She quickly swiped around and pinpointed a certain location, then looked back at Lance.

“No, but they’re quite nearby. They passed the castle ship a few days ago, when we were stationary for a few moments,” she explained, “and our sensors got a photo of it. If we want to succeed against Zarkon, we need more information on just how widespread his control is, and the status of important colonies around the universe.”

“How are we sure it’s not a trap?” Said Keith, mind recalling the past incident of a supposedly rebel ship.

“We can’t be 100% sure.” Stated Coran, closing the map and displaying the ship’s image again. “But luckily, this ship wouldn’t be able to storm off with a lion even if it tried.”

Coran was right. The ship, even though built as a cargo ship, seemed to be small. No defense systems were visible, and judging by the slightly dented hull and makeshift repairs, the ship was probably more of a danger to its passengers than to the castle ship or Voltron.

“Yeah,” sneered Pidge with a laugh, “I think just touching that old piece of garbage could send it sprawling. I mean, really, old ships aren’t all bad, but this one looks like some flying space junk.”

It was hard not to agree with Pidge. There was a small doubt hanging in the air, about just _how_ well could a revolution be when their labeled ships looked like some sort of space-equivalent for a junking car, but nobody voiced it.

“How can we make contact with them?” Asked Shiro, scratching his chin. “We’d need to either land on a planet with them, or let them board the ship.”

Coran quickly brought up a communications panel, as he typed in some other data into the screen with his free hand. He quickly finished and turned to face the team again. 

“We can send them a broadcast, text or audio.” He said, pointing at the screen. “It’s not as safe as a landing, but they’ll probably be more willing to board our ship if we’re nice.”

 Before Shiro could answer, Lance quickly snuck to the front. He looked at the photo, an eyebrow quirked in curiosity, and then looked at Coran with puppy eyes on his face.

“Can I voice the message? Please?” He said, and for a second, Coran almost seemed as if he’d give in, but Allura shook her head.

“I know you’re probably excited at the prospect of finding potential allies, but as… Conceited as it may sound, I believe it may be best if I contact them.” She said. “Even though it’s been a long time, it seems people still remember Altea and Voltron. We have a higher chance of winning these rebel’s trust if they see a familiar figure.” 

Lance pouted, but nodded. It was true he was beyond excited to find new friends- he was a social creature and so far he’d been stuck with the same people and only met some aliens that he’d probably never get to speak to again- and the idea of being able to have more people to talk to casually seemed great, and if he wanted that chance, maybe Allura should speak.

“So, are we going to send them a video, or a broadcast?” Asked Pidge. “Or just an audio?”

“I was thinking a broadcast. It’d be easier to get to an agreement if we can speak and see each other on screen real-time.” Answered Coran, and Pidge nodded.  


After preparing the ship a bit for the broadcast- which meant cleaning up the miscellaneous trash laying around the paladins’ chairs so it wouldn’t appear on-screen- everyone took seat, and Allura stood upfront, while Coran stood close to her.

The broadcast was initiated with the ship. According to Pidge, the ship was very close, and that would be a huge help. Seeing as it looked so old, she had worried about lag or audio over-compression, but with such a short distance between ships, it should be no problem. 

The broadcast was accepted, and everyone sucked in a breath. The large holo-screen flickered, tuning in, as it focused on the person who had answered them.

“Hello…?” The person asked, voice somewhat tired. They were dressed in full armor and helmet- nondescript grey armor and a helmet with darkened glass that hid their eyes.

“Greetings,” said Allura, not missing a beat. “We’re the Paladins of Voltron, and I am Princess Allura of Altea. We share the same goal as you and your group.”

“The same… goal?” The other person said, expression hidden by their helmet. “Oh yeah, yeah. I get it. So, um, do you people need something from me?”

 “We simply wish to talk.” Said Allura, with a tone of voice that was gentle yet commanding. “We have not received a proper update on the current condition of the universe.”

“Wait, really? I mean-” the helmet-clad rebel scrambled, looking for the correct words. “Uh, that’s bad…”

“Indeed it is. That is why we ask of you to board our ship, even if just for some ticks, to explain some things we may have missed.” Said Allura, and the rebel nodded.

For some reason, the rebel looked nervous. It didn’t go unnoticed by Keith, the subtle body language that still showed up in the undefined and bulkh armour, and it was a cause of suspicion for him.

“... Ok, I’ll, I’ll board. Where is your ship? My radars aren’t picking it up.” They said, shuffling uncomfortably. “The radars are… old.” 

“That’s ok, we can see you in ours. We’ll approach you and open our boarding area.” Said Allura, and the broadcast was ended.

The ship moved towards the cargo ship, which was about ten minutes away- an odd silence fell across the control room as they got closer. Keith, who was still the most wary, finally spoke up.

“I couldn’t tell that person’s race.” He said, arms crossed. “We can’t rule out that might be a galra. Whoever it was, they looked nervous. I really think this is a trap.”

“Keith, c’mon, what’s the worst that can happen? A few Galra on board?” Replied Pidge. “We aren’t picking up any other ships nearby, so it’s just them, and their ship is pretty much just flying junk.”

Just as Pidge said that, the cargo ship was in clear view of the Paladins. While Allura and Coran bussied themselves sending the boarding signal to it and opening up the door, the paladins judged the ship. 

The scanner images had looked bad, but comparing them to the real thing, they might have even been flattering. Rusted metal hull, dents everywhere, different metals haphazardly soldered to keep the ship going, and paint that was so scrapes off it might not be there- it was truly a piece of flying garbage.

Finally, the ship began boarding the castle. Everyone headed down, eager to see just what it had brought, weapons in hand just in case. Allura walked in front, ready to greet the newcomers. 

The parked cargo ship’s door opened with a creaking sound and the noise of scraping metal, making Lance wince. After it clunkily opened, the same armoured rebel who had spoken to them stumbled out of the ship.


	2. Runaway From Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes we run away from our problems. Sometimes we leave the city. Other times, we leave the entirety of the known Universe for humans with some weird aliens we befriended.

“It is nice to see you. As I said before, I am princess Allura- this is my consultant Coran, and th and these are the paladins of Voltron.” Said Allura, gesturing to the people behind her.

“Oh- uh, hello. I’m (name). I am a… Traveler? No, more like… Runaway?” The armoured person said, walking up to Allura to shake her hand.

 “You can take the helmet off, the oxygen here is stabilized to the standard level for most species.” Piped up Coran, noticing the visitor hadn’t revealed their face.

 “Oh- uh, yeah. But before that, why was I called here?” Asked the visitor, and Shiro stepped up to speak.

 “We’re trying to bring down Zarkon. The problem is, we don’t have too much information on his general advance or uprisings against him.” Explained Shiro, and Allura nodded. “You’re the not first genuine rebel we’ve met, but you’re the first we see traveling so openly- and we need any info you can give us.”

 “You’re trying to what?!” The masked traveler asked, incredulously. They coughed a bit, then resumed their words. “I- excuse me, what the fuck? And why would I be a rebel? I know the ship’s hull says something, but that thing’s half blown off!”

 Keith raised his sword slightly at the stranger’s vocabulary, while everyone else seemed to worry over the visitor’s words.

 “So… not a rebel?” Asked Lance, and the visitor shook their head.

 “No! I’m running away from trouble back at home, why would I come looking for more in space?” Sighed the traveler. “I didn’t even think there where more humans in space, either- the whole conquering thing almost made me forget that possibility.”

Their words seemed to flow seamlessly, like someone complaining about the weather, but they were hefty claims. Pidge froze up at the mention of other humans in space.

“Other humans?” She asked, mouth dry with suspense. “Are you a human?”

The traveler responded by taking off their helmet. It became clear that Voltron had been dealing with a human female after all- her hair was tied into a bun, some loose strands falling into her shoulders, and a blue bruise forming on her left eye.

“What the quiznack?!” Lance squeaked, quickly running up closer to her. She took a cautionary step back. “How did you get here? You’re like- very very far away from Earth!”

“It’s a long story!” (Name) cried out, clearly a bit shaken. Allura glared at Lance, who had run up to stand extremely close to the guest.

“But… Are you not allied with any anti-Zarkon rebellion?” She asked, hope running thin in her voice. The human female shook her head. 

“I just managed to salvage this ship to use. When you told me you had the same goal as me in the broadcast, I assumed it was to get far away from here.” (Name) said, shaking her head. “I know there’s some uprisings in areas where the Galra have a weaker hold of solar systems, but the group who owned this ship probably died a good thirty or fifty years ago.”

The atmosphere in the room fell. There was a glimmer of hope- perhaps a rebellion in a faraway system? -but it was obscured with the crushing reality that their nearest chance had turned out to be a ship scavenger.

“But wait, seriously, how did you get here?” Hunk asked, dissolving his bayard.

“... Come with us to the control room, please?” Sighed Allura, trying her best to sound inviting. “I fear this chat isn’t fit to have in the hangar.”

Back in the control room, there seemed to be a new element of curiosity lingering in the air. Everyone took a seat, except for (name), who awkwardly stood in the front with her armour still on. 

“... So, I guess I begin with getting in a bit of trouble back on Earth.” She said, biting her lip slightly. “I- I committed a crime against an… Organization, and the only way to get out of that was to really just disappear.” 

“I tried to run away to the mountains, because, dunno, seemed like a good place to shed my name and past. Except one day, a weird alien ship crashes near the small abandoned cottage I’d been living in.” Explained (name). Shiro tensed at the mention of aliens getting near Earth, clearly uncomfortable with the thought. 

“What were they?” Asked Coran, eyes narrowed, and (name) shrugged.

“When I went to talk to them- the crash landed aliens near my off-the-grid cottage, you know, like an idiot, they almost shot me.” (Name) said, arms crossed. “Managed to establish communication with them, though. I didn't ask them what they were. They… Um, looked pretty human, with weird orange skin? Four arms?”

(Name) tried her best to explain the odd crashlanders, but Coran kept saying her definition was ‘too broad’ and he could find at least fifty species that all fit that same description. She tried to talk about their behavior instead; about how they were starving and she helped them out, earning their gratitude.

“And well, wouldn’t you know it, turns out whatever the hell those were, they were super grateful. When I told them why I was there in the isolated, freezing mountains, they offered me… To go with them.” Said (name), slightly wall-eyed. “I couldn't refuse. It was all so weird, so convenient…”

She seemed to be quite good at remembering what had happened, but her gaze seemed to grow emptier the more she spoke. She retold about how she decided to accompany the aliens, taking off into space to who-knows-where, about how for the first three months everything was great, and then a Galra ship found them.

“Turns out these alien dudes I’ve been traveling with are running away from their Galra-occupied planet, and the Galra aren’t into that. I managed to get into an escape pod from the ship.” (Name) said, and everyone understood what was about to be said before she even opened her mouth. “And I guess… The rest didn’t make it.”

Everyone seemed to silently wander if there had been any other way. Maybe (name) had only gotten to escape because the Galra hadn't accounted for an extra passenger, leave alone a human one. But everyone else? It was almost horrible to think they really had no chance.

“My pod flied for a week. And for an entire week, all I eat and drink is some hardtack I brought into the ship just in case, and water.” She sighed, as if the horrible feeling of being trapped in the tiny pod creeped back on her. “My pod landed on some space garbage. And just for my luck, there’s a ship there. The one I was using just now, actually. 

Pidge doesn't seem surprised. Sure, she’d made fun of how rickety and bad it was, but knowing it literally came from garbage felt a little less funny once she realized that had been (name)’s only hope after a week of only hardtack and water.

“And the ship was functioning?” Asked Pidge, still curious through all the odd mood in the room. (Name) shrugged.

“I had to do some last-minute fixing to it. I guess I could have soldered it a bit prettier, but I’m not really a mechanic.” She said, chuckling. “The thing is, after taking some of my pod’s components and roughly soldering into the old ship’s, it was doing ok. It could fly, at least.” 

“So that’s why it had the rebel markings?” askes Coran, and (name) nodded.

The tension seemed to die down after the initial turbulence of the conversation. It was clear Allura was quite disappointed in not finding a powerful rebel group, but she kept her chin high and didn’t allow her disappointment to show. Eventually, the conversation turned to the topic of Earth.

“What’s the situation on Earth right now?” Asked Lance, who had been the one that had been most eager to talk since the reveal of the traveler’s species.

“Uh, it’s surviving. Politics are haywire right now, but the Galra aren't a threat yet, if it helps ease your mind.” Explained (name). “If you returned now, I’m seventy percent sure everything would look the same as whenever it was you left. I know it would look the same as when I left- not that I can ever go back.”

“Wait, so what was your plan? Do you have like… Alien friends to go live with?” Asked Hunk, and (name) laughed.

“Hah, nah. I just planned to board that old ship, and eventually die.” She said, but her voice wasn’t joking. “I just planned on depleting my food and water and then eventually die there. Preferable over whatever the Galra would have done.” 

Everyone fell silence at the comment. Shiro wanted to tell her that dying of starvation in a ship was a thousand times better than Galra torture, but he knew it would probably come off weird. That, and seeing a young woman just casually mention she had nowhere to go to in the universe and her only plan was to die wasn’t really a great atmosphere to add a “relatable, i too had a bad space experience” comment.

“... Oh.” Coran was the first to break the awkward silence, stroking his mustache. “Well, you’re lucky we found you then! How was your food supply?”

“I had like 5 crackers left and no water.” Said (name), crossing her arms. “Uh- if it’s not too much trouble, actually, can you guys give me some water bottles before you let me go?”

“We’re not launching you off into space to die!” Allura interrupted, shaking her head. “Our team is supposed to help anyone we can- there’s plenty of room here in the castle.”

“Princess, are you serious?!” Keith exclaimed, finally snapping. He stood up, and walked towards (name). “Are we sure this isn’t a trap? Aren’t there any other aliens that can chameleon their way into looking like humans?” 

Allura raised her eyebrows, quickly making her way to (name)’s side and placing a hand on her shoulder. The rest of the paladins and Coran waited with a held breath to see what would unfold.

 “Keith. Are you telling me you want to kill her?” Asked Allura, her words slow and measured. “We can analyze her DNA, if you need it so badly, but listen. She’s technically a survivor of a Galra raid, and we don’t know how much info she has.” 

(Name) awkwardly stood there, with the princess on one side, and Keith in the other. Keith seemed to consider Allura’s words, before sighing.

“... I’m sorry. I just really don’t want to end up with a possible threat in the castle.” Said Keith, and (Name) cleared her throat. 

“I- uh, it’s ok to throw me out, I really had enough time in the pod to come to terms with a certain death and the fact I’d die alone in space,” she said, before turning to look straight at Allura. “but I think I might have some sort of Galra thing that may have info on my ship.” 

Everyone immediately perked up at that, leaving aside the grim monologue about submitting to death.


	3. A Healing Pod Can Be As Scary As Other Relatively Scary Stuff, Thank You Very Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space sucks because sometimes flash drives don't fit in your universal connector and you have to make a weird adaptor nobody really trusts not to blow up to read them

Only Allura, Pidge and Shiro accompanied (name) to retrieve the object from her ship- Allura because she wanted to see it for herself, Pidge because of curiosity and Shiro as protection in case (name) turned out to be a traitor and tried to gun them down while alone.

“Say, how old is this thing?” Asked Pidge, standing just on the doorway to the ship. (Name) gestured for her to come in, and Allura and Shiro followed.

 “Couldn't tell you, but definitely old enough to have to reboot most systems at least once every few days.” Answered (name), who was digging into a trunk.

The inside of the ship was better than the outside- the large containment part which would usually hold boxes in a normal cargo ship had been remodeled into a living room merged with a control room, with a single door on the back to where Pidge guessed was the bedroom. 

“Oh, here it is.” Exclaimed (name), pulling out an off black and purple thing. It looked like a big claw- except the purple parts glowed and it was made of metal.

“What is that?” Asked Allura, and (name) shrugged. 

“Flash drive of sorts? I made an adapter to plug it into the ship screen, but whatever’s in there is encrypted to high heaven.” Explained (name), as Pidge quickly took the small device.

(Name) showed pidge where the adapter was- a makeshift adapter made to fit the claw-thing was connected to a plug in the control panel which was the universal equivalent of an USB port back on Earth.

Pidge gave the rudimentary hardware no mind as she placed the device in the adapter and (name) turned on the power. A small, flickery holographic screen popped up and started displaying garbled Galran mixed with numbers.

“Woah.” Said Shiro, glancing at the screen. He didn’t know Galran, but with the amount of numbers and gibberish symbols sprinkles in, he guessed that translating that would be hellish.

“Holy cow, that’s… One way to encrypt things.” Said Pidge, adjusting her glasses. It wasn't the toughest she’d seen, but the gibberish characters and the length of the message was a bit worrying.

“(Name), this could be of incredible value to us.” Said Allura, looking at the girl. “I would truly feel even more guilty to send you off now, seeing as you’ve helped us.”

“Aaaaand the fact we can see the entirety of your food laying on that table.” Added Pidge, pointing to a small table on the corner with a few hardtack crackers on it, and Shiro raises an eyebrow at the sight of the small amount of hardtack crackers that probably didn't even have the nutritional value of a microwave meal.

(Name) crossed her arms, seemingly in deep thought. She knew that, if she left, she’d definitely die in a few dies even with extra water (and asking for more food would just be putting off that certain death for a few days), but at the same time she didn’t want to impose on these people. Last time she boarded an alien ship, things had gone south pretty early on.

Woah- that was a dark thought. (Name) froze as she suddenly realized just _what_ she was thinking; _she was considering suicide just not to impose on some people with a ship larger than a hotel._ It dawned on her how utterly dark that train of thought was, and what made it more disturbing was that she hadn’t even realized the dangers of her own thoughts until now. 

“I- ok.” she breathed out, clenching her fists to keep herself calm. “I… hate to just impose myself on you like this, but…”

Allura seeme pleased with (name)’s sudden change of heart; even if her previous carefree and aloof expression had suddenly turned into a solidly preoccupied one. Pidge nodded, also relieved with the girl’s choice. 

“We should take you to the med bay.” Declared Allura, walking out of (name)’s ship. Pidge followed along, taking the Galra chip and the makeshift adapter. Shiro waited on the ship’s entrance, waiting for (name).

“Please come with us. You’ve been wondering around space for too long, it’s really for the best if you get checked for any sort of diseases and that.” He said, glancing at the girl who was still standing near the screen in her ship.

“Yeah, you’re right.” She finally answered, shoulders slumping from their previous tensed up position.

The rest of the Paladins were waiting in the med bay, thanks to Pidge telling everyone they’d be taking (name) there. They all seemed a bit more chill with her- except for Keith, whose slight hostility was still present.

“Heyo, we’re back.” Said Pidge as the door to the med bay slid open. 

“Uh, Hi! I’m Hunk. Don’t think I got a chance to introduce myself back there.” Hunk jumped to his feet, quickly shaking hands with (name). She gave him a small smile.

“It’s ok. Nice to meet you-” she said, before the tan paladin slid next to her.

“Aaaand I’m Lance, the coolest paladin.” He said, winking. (Name) raised an eyebrow cautiously, nodding slowly.

“Guys, please, I would also like to exchange pleasantries with our guest, but she’s been out for way too many vargas in space with less than ideal nutrition,” explained Allura, glaring at Lance who was standing the closest to (name), “we need to let Corran check her out before we talk her ears off with introductions.”

The Paladins nodded in agreement, while Hunk silently asked Pidge for a reminder of how long a “varga” was in normal people time, and Corran readied everything.

“Ok miss, if you could just stand in the scanner pod for a second now…” piped up Corran, and (name) shuffled over to the glass pod in a corner of the room, cautiously stepping in it. “Perfect! The glass is going to close- the deep scanner mode will last a bit, but it won’t be more than a dobash or so. You won’t even notice!”

The glass pod closed itself, sealing (name) in temporarily. She looked panicked, as was expected of someone who had been wandering aimlessly in space a few seconds ago and was now stuck in some weird scanner pod.

“Why not just put her in a healing pod?” Asked Pidge while the scanner pod did its thing. “That one knocks you out so you don’t have to be awake all the healing process, too.”

“We’re just checking to see if she’s sick or so, not healing her there.” explained Coran, glancing at the screens. “If she ended up having some sort of Slime Cough or any weird virus you can contract from using an old ship with a wonky ventilation system, we use the healing pods. If it’s something tiny, then we really don’t need to.”

“More importantly, was there anything in her ship?” Asked Keith. He knew it probably came off as rude to phrase it  that way, but to be fair, he wasn’t the friendliest to space strangers that came in rusty old abandoned ships.

“Yup.” Said Pidge, showing the Galra device. “We have an adapter- but, uh, I was hoping either me or Hunk could… Look it over later.”

“Why how bad is it- oh god that looks really unsafe to use.” Cringed Hunk when Pidge passed him the small adapter (name) had made. “I mean- I’m sure that for space junk gathering materials this is probably the best you can make, but I haven’t even connected it and I’m already scared it’ll explode.”

Lance nodded- much to Keith and Pidge’s surprise, as they didn't really expect for him to have been paying attention. Lance leaned in closer to where Hunk held the device.

“I mean, it’s not bad, it just doesn’t have the correct protection.” Lance reasoned. “And I’m not an engineer- that’s your field, Hunk- but I’m really sure that wires are supposed to be soldered and not just taped together with alien-duct tape.”

“Why do you know that?” Asked Keith, and Lance shrugged. Before Allura could tell Keith not to subestimate his teammates, the scanner pod beeped and opened again.

(Name) wobbled out of the pod with shaky legs, leaning against a wall for support. She looked somewhat scared but otherwise unharmed from the experience, and Coran seemed pleased with the information.


	4. You Don't Know What You Have Until You Loose It (and have to eat green goo instead of hardtack)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone introduces themselves at the table. (name) wanders if she seriously has to eat this green goo for the rest of the time, and starts missing what she never thought she'd miss: hardtack crackers.

“What’s the result?” Asked Hunk, and Coran displayed some text on the room’s screens.

“Other than malnutrition, nothing, really.” He said, and (name) seemed to sigh in relief. 

“That’s great! Some food goo will probably fix you right up.” Said Allura, smiling. “It’s still a while until dinner- maybe you’d like to rest first, though?”

(Name) nodded, still somewhat unbalanced. Allura asked Keith to help her to her room- much to Lance’s chagrin- which would be one of the palace’s many, many rooms.

“... What’s food goo?” Asked (name), as Keith lead her down a hall. He seemed to be uncomfortable with her, but responded.

“What we eat. It’s this… Gooey green jelly thing that’s supposed to be super nutritious.” He answered, and (name) nodded in understanding.

The rest of the walk went by in a continuous yet not uncomfortable silence, as Keith was wary and (name) was just too tired to deal with speaking, until he reached the room Allura had told him to give (name).

“It’s here,” he said, opening the door. He knew that soon, they’d configure the door so it would open with (name)’s hand, but for now he guessed anyone could open it.

It was a very nice room, and it was hard to believe it would be hers- (name) had slept in a cold, tiny isolated from the world, slept in overcrowded tiny spacecraft dorms full of aliens, rested on the hard metal floors of an escape pod, and spent nights in the uncomfortable bed of an abandoned ship alone in space-  it was certainly a sharp change.

The bed was attached to the wall, sporting a thick mattress and fluffy blue covers. There was a bedside table, a door that led to what she guessed would be the bathroom, and a small closet. It wasn’t homey by any means, but it was the best she’d seen in way too long.

“Woah.” She breathed out, stepping into the room and sitting on the bed. Keith stood in the doorway, not moving. “Thanks.”

“Thank Allura, not me.” He said, and cringed slightly at how harsh his words sounded. (Name) seemed to not mind, just nodding.

The door closed, after Keith letting her know that someone would come to take her to dinner. Finally, for the first time since she had left her ship, she was alone.

The bed was comfy, but she just laid in the ground- she needed something solid to concentrate. What had been happening? She still remembered stealing from that megacorporation’s centrals on Earth- for some stupid little gadget she had been paid to steal- and using up the payment money to run away.

She sighed. It all felt so far away now, the whole helping aliens and leaving Earth. She remembered how shaken she had been when the Aliens had opened a wormhole (a minuscule one, but still impressive to her) for the first time, remembered the panic over the Galra.

After that, though, it felt like her life just… Slowed down. Before that incident, everything had been so much packed into so little time, and suddenly, there she was: a lonely human, floating lost in an escape pod without a destination.

Whatever had happened in the time between the pod and being rescued was a complete blur of existential dread and loneliness combined with the weight of impending death. She still felt weird that she had been so willing to crash back into her certain-death trip, even when a small voice in the back of her head was still telling her to go back on the beat up ship and leave.

“Hi? Hello- oh.” The door opened, revealing Pidge. She looked around the room, until her eyes settled on (name)’s form, sprawled on the ground. “You ok?”

“Sorta,” she groaned, standing up. Pidge quickly helped her up. “it’s just… I guess it just started to dawn on me I spent at least a month in a lonely abandoned ship waiting to die.”

“Oh, yikes.” Said Pidge, casually strolling out the room. (Name) followed. “I mean, that really sucks a lot, but here in the castle there’s really no risk of dying from starvation so we’ve got you covered.”

(Name) laughed a bit. So far, Pidge and Allura had been the ones who had appeared more welcoming to her. And the younger one actually reminded her of her own sense of humor before the whole space escapade thing wrecked her whole identity.

“Yeah, Keith told me about your food slime thing.” Said (name), her appetite shrinking a bit once she remembered that her meal wouldn’t be actual food. “Whatever it is, I bet it's better than hardtack.”

It was not. It was not better than hardtack- (name) found that out on the first spoonful. It was weird and warm and slimey and  _ oh god how should she even chew this. _

“Pro tip, don’t eat big spoonfuls. You can’t chew this stuff properly with a mouth full.” Said Hunk as he saw (name) panic a bit.

“I- I realize.” She coughed, wiping her mouth. Suddenly, she turned to Allura. “Wait- did you analyze the info?”

“It’s being decrypted as we eat.” Said Pidge. “Not sure what’s in there, but I hope it’s important.”

(Name) nodded, and took another, way smaller, piece of food goo before proceeding to chew it with way more care.

“... Wait a minute, did we all introduce ourselves? I know I did, but did everyone?” Asked Lance, breaking the silence.

“Well, we might as well just present ourselves now that everyone is calm.” Said Shiro, turning to look at (name). “I’m Shiro, paladin of the black lion. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Hunk- uh, already told you that- and I pilot the yellow lion.” Said Hunk, and (name) nodded, still remembering the larger man from the med bay.

“... ‘M Keifh. Rehd fhalladihn.” Said Keith between a mouthful of goo (exactly what Hunk had warned her not to do). He swallowed quickly and cleared his throat. “Sorry for the whole… Sending you back to space thing.”

“It’s ok, don't worry about that.” Shrugged (name). Even though in retrospect, maybe she should have been upset then, she couldn't blame Keith at all.

“And I hope you remember me?” Said Lance, batting his eyelashes in a playful manner at (name). She chuckled a bit at his actions.

“Lance, right?” She asked, and he seemed to be thrilled that she remembered. “I’m also going to take a wild guess and say you’re the paladin of… the blue one.”

“Woah, you got it all right!” Exclaimed Lance, still smiling. He seemed to be genuinely happy she had remembered him and guessed his lion.

“And I’m Pidge, paladin of the green lion.” Said Pidge, who was sitting next to (name). “After diner, maybe we should check out the data. I think we’ll have a better shot at guessing what it is with you there.”

(Name) nodded, happy to be of use. Allura and Coran presented themselves, and it was a hard punch to the mind to be reminded she was dining with  _ royalty-  _ dining on green goo, perhaps, but still quite overwhelming.

“(Name), I know this isn't the best conversation topic for the table, but… Can you please tell me a more detailed state of the universe now?” Said Allura, as (name) poked her goo with her spoon.

“Um, more detailed…? Well, before I left the main ship with the four armed dudes, I remember someone talking about how a good amount of Galra occupied planets had at least a portion of population rebelling or living far from the conquered parts.” She said, and Allura nodded. There wasn't too much she knew, but she tried her best to give all she knew.

Dinner finally ended after everyone had eaten their fill of goo ((name) tried not to think too much about how she had eaten a plate of goo), and headed to their rooms.

Pidge left for the control room, though, and (name) followed behind closely. On a side screen, a loading bar was almost full, a little loading animation displaying on the side.

“Woah, it’s not done yet?” Gawked Pidge, quickly sitting on her chair. “It usually only takes a couple minutes…”

“I hope it's useful.” Grumbled (name), leaning against the back of Pidge’s chair. “I’ll throw myself out the airlock if it turns out to be something like, I don’t know, a Galra soldier’s poem practices or something.”

“If it was something like that then I’d follow you right out the airlock.” Joked Pidge, adjusting her glasses. “Though… If it’s anything related to captured prisoners, then it’s going to be useful to me.”

(Name) raised an eyebrow at the last statement. Pidge did a quick thought-run on her mind- (name) would probably be staying for a long while, she was a nice person- and decided it’d be no harm in telling her.

“I’m looking for my family. My dad and brother were taken by the Galra.” said Pidge, and (name) seemed to quickly catch on this was a rather sensitive topic.

“... I hope this info helps, then.” She replied after carefully thinking over her words. “Family is… Very important. If you have a chance to get them back, then I’ll help as much as I can to reunite you all.”

Pidge didn't reply. It wasn’t as if she didn't appreciate (name)’s words, rather, she was somewhat confused. (Name) had said she ran away from Earth- did she miss her family? Had she seriously just left them much like she had left her mother: without a word and to a place they could never find her?


	5. It's Always The Big Dumb Room With Windows. That's Where You Get Stabbed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's always scared of dark, narrow alleys. They're scared they'll walk through one and come out with a knife-shaped hole in their stomach. Newsflash, asshole, it was the well-lot big room in the weirdly inviting alien ship you should have been avoiding all along.

Standing up was painful now that the adrenaline rush had faded. Walking even more so. Luckily, The atmosphere was growing a bit awkward, but thankfully a small sound from the screen made that vibe fade. (Name) and Pidge looked at the screen with curiosity and impatience brimming in their eyes.

“This is-” Pidge uttered, quickly reading the text that scrolled in the screen. “- a really in-depth text file about… Quintessence?”

(Name) skimmed over the text too, surprised at what it was. It was just talking about quintessence- a topic she knew little to nothing on, aside from once hearing her past shipmates say something about it- and her heart dropped.

“Oh.” She sighed, slumping her head a bit. “I see…”

“We’ll let everyone else take a read tomorrow. Maybe they can see if there’s… Anything of use.” Said Pidge, though her previous excitement had died in her voice. “And- before you go to sleep, we should ask Allura for clothes.”

(Name) looked down at herself, and realized Pidge was right. She was wearing the bare basics of her armor, the one she’d technically stolen from a corpse in her ship when she found it. It wasn’t uncomfortable, maybe because she was so used to it, but normal clothes sounded amazing.

“That would be great.” Said (name), standing up. She still felt terrible that the information she’d brought had bore no useful content, but there was still hope.

Pidge knew her way to the Princess’s room, explaining that sometimes they had “girls’ nights” when they needed a distraction. She also invited (name) to whenever their next one might be, to which the newcomer felt overjoyed to accept.

“Here we are.” Declared Pidge after stopping in front of a large door. She knocked, the hollow sound of hitting a metal door echoing slightly.

Allura opened the door. She had changed into her night robes- casual and yet still drop-dead elegant- and (name) suddenly felt quite embarrassed that she’d seriously been eating with royalty in her old armour. 

“Pidge! (Name)! What was the information about?” She asked, and Pidge shrugged.

“Something about Quintessence? I just skim read like half of it, so I don’t know too much.” Explained Pidge, yawning a bit afterwards. “Anyways, Princess, you see (name) here needs some sleeping clothes.”

Allura quickly apologized for making (name) stay in the armour for so long, and (name) silently thanked whatever god was willing to listen that she hadn't been made to take off her armour in the castle ship. She’d seriously rather wear an uncomfy armour than show her tattered, old clothes she wore under.

“Hey Princess, I also told (name) maybe we should invite her to our girls’ nights?” Mentioned Pidge while Allura dug around her dresser looking for something for (name) to wear.

“Oh, that would be lovely! Since (name) will be here for… A while,” said Allura, and (name)’s breath hitched. For how long would she be allowed here…? 

Finally, Allura found a nightgown for (name)- it looked comfortable enough and warm enough. (Name) took it, thanking both Allura and Pidge a couple times before leaving to her room.

After ten minutes of walking around, she was starting to get tired. Where the hell was her room? The castle seemed to have infinite hallways that branched out and extended deeper each time, and no matter what she did she couldn't find her way.

“Where… Am I?” She wondered, walking into another room. 

This time, it wasn’t just a random room full of controls or whatever, though. It was quite large, with windows above to watch it. If she had to guess, maybe it was for training?

“Resuming Training Sequence: Level 1.” A robotic voice echoed across the room.

(Name) dropped the clothes Allura had given her in a panic, looking around the room. When had that activated? She looked around for the exit, but a while robot plopped down before she could.

It went straight for an attack, thankfully not so fast. Still, (name) was tired and really not trained- she yelped as she blocked the robot’s blase as best as she could.

The impact of the blade on her armour made a clunking sound, knocking her back a few feet. She looked at her armour’s arm guards- there was quite a dent there, probably due to how old the thing was- and she realized her chances of blocking again were slim.

Cursing, she looked over the room again- the exit was too far away to rush to without the robot getting her, but there seemed to be some sort of weapon to the side. It was a spear of sorts, though she’d hazard a guess and say it was a training spear as the tip seemed rather dull.

Ducking another of the robot’s slow lunges (she guessed level 1 was supposed to be easy  _ if she had a weapon _ ), she rolled over to the spear and gripped it in her hands.

(Name) had never used a spear before- actually, she had never used a weapon other than a small blaster- but whatever strategy of rolling and making stabbing motions at the robot was working.

The difficulty seemed to go up- she was simply trying to get to the door, but the robot was proving that to be difficult.

“Initiating Training Sequence: Level 2.” The robotic voice announced, and (name) groaned.

The robot seemed to freeze for a second, probably as it re-calibrated or something, and (name) took her chance. She snatched the nightgown from the ground and dashed to the door.

“Mhn-” she groaned, meters away from the door where she felt a sharp pain. 

The robot had caught up to her, while she was distracted and turning her back at it. It had stabbed through one of the openings in her armour’s sides, not quite deep, but something told (name) it would be a nasty wound.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck-” (name) silently screeched as she ran even faster to the door, slamming her hand on the pad and sliding out faster than she thought she could.

The door slid shut once she was outside, leaving the training robot inside. (Name) gasped for breath, sliding to the floor with her back sliding down the door.

Her hand shot to her side, to cover the wound- and she scrunched up her face as she felt something warm in her palm. Looking at it, it was clear she’d just smeared blood all over her palm- she needed to clean and bandage that.

the pain also made time feel wonky, and she didn't know how much she had walked before she finally found her room.

Stumbling inside, she threw the nightgown Allura had given her in the bed and wobbled to the bathroom. Discarding her armour, she let the metallic pieces hit the ground with the clanging of metal, as she inspected the wound.

It looked a lot like a stab wound, which was good because she knew how to treat those, but she also knew that whatever the hell that robot had certainly wasn't a normal knife. It was wider than a normal stab wound, and painful as all hell.

Cleaning the wound was pretty difficult. She had only found some bandages after scrounging the whole bathroom, in a small cabinet- it had some other stuff but she didn't know what the Altean labels read.

She settled for water and what she hoped to god was soap. It stung, obviously, but the pain was less sharp once she wrapped it tightly with bandages. She hoped heavily her body still had it in it to heal that without the need of stitches.

She walked back to the bed, lazily throwing on the nightgown and wrapping herself in the covers. She tried to fall asleep, but it was hard. Her mind was heavy with thoughts and her side ached numbly, keeping her awake for a good while.

Morning- or whatever you’d call it in space- creeped up slowly. (Name) woke up by herself, mouth dry and stomach empty. She was sore, but not enough to be unable to act normally.

She walked out of her room, still a bit sleepy. The castle appeared way less confusing now that she wasn’t losing blood. Plus, she knew her way from her room to the eating area, so there was no chance for her to meet Mr. Stabby-Bot again.


	6. Sometimes Info Is Useful. Sometimes It's Not. It Really Depends On How Unlucky Your Ass Is, Really

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody really bothers skim-read a long article after they pass the half of it. Not even in space. Not even when said article is a wall of text on, y'know, the most powerful fuel known to every species. Luckily, (name) is pretty sure that her brain is so screwed by now she can easily count as "nobody" with all the personality she has shedded. And so she reads.

“Good morning, (name).” Welcomed Allura as (name) walked in the room. “It’s good to see you rising early. Take a seat, the paladins will arrive soon enough.”

(Name) obliged, seating close to Allura. The Princess was dressed more casually now, and  she had a calming aura to her. (Name) didn't want to ruin the ambience, but she had to speak up.

“I- um, I’m eternally grateful for your kindness, and for letting me stay.” She said, quickly racking her brain for the right words. “I would only like to know… How long can I stay?”

Allura seems to stop and think. She didn't want to just dump (name) out to a relatively ok planet and leave- especially not when the Galra seemed interested in taking humans for “breaking”. But it was undeniable that the ship wasn't a vacation cruise, either, and (name) wouldn’t be safe there forever.

“If you’re asking me whether I want you to leave, the answer is no.” Answered Allura, after reasoning her answer. “But the problem is, this ship isn’t a safe place at all, not with Zarkon’s constant targeting of us.” 

“Oh, I don't mind! In fact, I’d be more than glad to… Help you all.” Said (name), perking up slightly. “I’ve got a decent amount of experience as a pilot, and I’m sure I could learn to to fight at close-distance.”

Allura and (name) chatted like that for a while, discussing how she could help the team. (Name) decided to gracefully avoid the topic of being stabbed in the training room, mostly because she didn't want to damper the mood.

Slowly, the paladins started to show up to the table- first Shiro, followed by Pidge, Hunk, then Keith. Lance didn’t arrive- (name ) guessed he’d be arriving later. Everyone sat down, just in time for Coran to waltz into the room with some plates of… something. 

“Good morning to all of you!” he cheered, setting down the plates. (name) stared at the food with unease. “I decided to get fancy today! This is a dish that was commonly eaten in Altea as breakfast food- I managed to recreate it with castle ingredients!” 

Though Coran and Altea seemed delighted at the odd pudding-like substance set on the plates, (name) was… Less excited to try it. Pidge was poking her pudding with the fork, while Shiro and Keith looked like they’d just given up long ago on the thought of normal food as they dug in. Hunk looked like he couldn’t decide whether the whiteish pudding was terrible or a delicacy, taking small spoonfuls and making a curious face every time he tasted it.

“So, any plans for today?” asked Shiro, and Pidge nodded.

  
“Actually, I was going to ask all of you to read through the files we uncovered yesterday.” piped up Pidge, still ignoring the weird breakfast pudding. “It was something about quintessence, but it was late and honestly, that’s really not my strong point, so maybe some of you could find something else to it.”

Everyone agreed. After all, Allura said that apart from training, there were no plans for the day, which meant they had a lot of time to kill. Breakfast went on with some chatter here and there- including the shocking conclusion that the pudding was both salty  _ and  _ sweet at the same time, and also had a weird sandy texture- and even though it was easy to notice everyone wasn’t used to (name)’s presence yet, she didn’t quite feel like an outsider.

“Good morning people, what’s on the menu today?” Lance called out as he stepped in, wearing a robe that was somewhat similar to (name)’s. His skin looked amazing- way too good for someone in space, as far as (name) could tell, and he was smiling broadly.

  
“We have sandy flavour-confused pudding.” said Pidge, who had managed to down half of hers. 

“She meant to say we have delicious E’ktchrun Root Gerki.” corrected Coran, giving the correct Altean name of the meal. Lance shrugged as he sat down, taking a plate and shoving a spoonful. He seemed confused at the flavor, and stopped to stare down at his plate.

After eating, Pidge made sure everyone sat down to read the information. (name) got a chair that Coran brought over from who-knows-where to the control room so she wouldn’t have to awkwardly stand while everyone else sat down and read. Now that she had the time, she realized that reading might be quite hard when there were windows everywhere giving her such a marvelous view of space.

“... I never really got to appreciate the sights out here, huh.” she breathed out, eyes softening at the sight. Lance chuckled.

“Isn’t it amazing? Sometimes I just sit here for hours,” he said, also glancing out. “Being out here might mean being away from home, but… It’s really amazing.”

There was longing in his voice, the type of longing that was usually present in people who’d been torn away from their families. (name) couldn’t help but wonder if that was the case, if all the people in the room had been separated from their loved ones- she knew on the very least Allura and Coran had, and now possibly Lance.

She turned back to the small screen she’d been given- Pidge had been kind enough to import everything there beforehand, so now all left to do was read. She began the task, reading the small text and scrolling. 

_ Blah blah blah, quintessence is the substance with highest known energy per volume, blah, blah, blah-  _ oh hey Keith just sneezed-  _ blah, blah, basically raw power, blah-  _ are there flies in space? (name) swore she just heard one-  _ blah, some individuals of certain species may have the ability to manipulate it, blah…. _

(name) wanted to be interested in the text, very much so, but it was… Difficult. She couldn’t count how many times the text had said “it’s basically raw power!” when talking about the substance, or how many times it had to mention it was used in weapons by the Galra. Even Pidge, who had set out with energy to read, seemed to be dropping her speed.

“These Druids… Are they magicians of sorts?” asked (name).

“They can manipulate quintessence. All living beings- and some nonliving, to an extent- have quintessence in them, in some ways, which makes druids rather dangerous.” explained Coran. “Not many species can manipulate it, and even in those who can, it takes training to achieve it.”

“Can humans do that?” asked (name), and Corran hummed. He stroked his mustache, then shrugged.

“Honestly, I have no idea.” he said. “Humans aren’t really… Known around. I guess they’re just not noticeable since they haven’t really been traveling around space due to lack of technology for long-distance traveling, so we have no info.”

(name) nodded and went back to reading. Lance had fallen asleep by now, and Hunk was in the process of it. Keith was trying to read, but he lost track of where he was and had to start the page again. Shiro looked like he was reading, though he’d really rather not be. Allura was reading diligently, as was Coran, when (name)’s eyes widened.

_ -experimenting with forcing quintessence into unwilling species has wielded many results. Usually, most experience pain (thrashing around, convulsing) and then death. In rarer cases, they live on with severe disabilities, but certain species have shown an awakening of primal instincts. The species that shows the highest rate of violent activities after being presented with quintessence are the Cth’Xu, who can vary in reaction from increased territoriality to complete loss of memory and free will- _

“Wait- did you read this?” (Name) asked, mouth dry at the information. “Are the Galra experimenting on these.. Cth’Xu people?”

Everyone turned to look at (name). Allura more than anyone, worry apparent in her eyes when the girl pronounced the species’s name, as she stood up and quickly grabbed the tablet from (name)’s hand.

“... loss of free will.” She breathed out, frowning. “The Galra have been… experimenting with the Cth’Xu to turn them into weapons.”

The words seemed to hit heavy, as everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Shiro, more than anyone, felt terrible at the mention of Galra experiments. Those words still brought bad memories to his mind, no matter how much time seemed to pass by.

“But the Cth’Xu are lovely!” Cried out Coran, sadness in his voice. “They’ve always welcomed Alteans with open arms, known for their hospitality, and were spoken of highly around the universe… How could they to turn these good people into…  _ that?” _

Everyone scrolled down to that part of the document. It got worse from then on: it described the failed experiments- how some aliens would violently writhe on the floor and beg to be killed- and experiments that didn’t quite fail but did not succeed, such as when the alien’s brain disconnected to their bodies and left them in a permanent sleeping state.

“This is… Disgusting.” Said Keith, hands clenched into fists. Lance nodded, groaning at the graphic descriptions in the text.

“We should check on the Cth’Xu.” Commented Hunk, a frown on his face as he read. “I mean- they’re the ones bound to be more targeted, right? Being the successful ones and all that?”

“Ah, Planet Tehk Cth’Xu… Maybe it would be a good idea to visit.” Sighed Coran, and Allura nodded.


	7. Some Stuff That Makes You Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (name) would not recommend complete space isolation to anyone. I mean, unless someone just violently craved the emotional damage, the loss of oneself, and the horrible feeling of impending doom that slowly shapes you into a being that believes they're only fit to die. On the plus side, she did loose absolutely everything she was so maybe she's a blank canvas now? A blank canvas coated with varnish so paint doesn't stick to it- but hey, she's working on it. Soon enough she might even get her sense of humour back! Maybe.

It was settled a visit to Tehk Cth’Xu was needed- now that they knew the Galra had gained a taste for experimentation on its people, it was on Voltron’s hands to help them, somehow. (Name) had never seen a real fight, at least not one in space- but right now, she had to look for ways to make herself useful.

“Do we have visuals on the planet?” Asked (name), and Coran pulled up a screen. 

A beautiful planet with waters that looked almost purple with blue forests showed up. The thick blue vegetation was interrupted in several places with the trademark greys and whites of building and civilization, but was otherwise filling all available land.

“Purple water? That’s cool.” Commented Lance, raising an eyebrow. “Is it the algae?”

“Indeed! The Cth’Xu mostly feed on the algae that grows all over their oceans.” Explained Coran. “Hopefully, the Galra haven’t destroyed much of the planet- these are old images, after all.”

Everyone dispersed afterwards, going their way to spend time before getting to Tehk Cth’Xu. Allura let them know they’d wormhole soon, and with that, they were dismissed.

(Name) found herself wandering around the ship without much aim. It had been an awfully long time since she’d wormhole jumped, but it didn’t make her too anxious.

Walking along a who-knows-what hallway, she stumbled across Lance. He looked relaxed, his smile ever-present in his face. When he spotted (name), he quickly jogged over to her.

“Oh hello,” he said, winking. “What’cha doing around here?”

“Just walking. I guess if I want to help, I should begin by learning this ship’s layout.” Explained (name), leaning against a wall. “You?”

“Walking, too. Helps me think.” Said Lance, glancing at (name). He leaned to the wall, next to (name). “So you’ll be staying here for a while?”

(Name) nodded. There was a bit of silence, only filled in by the low hum of the ship’s life support systems and such, until (name) decided to speak again.

“I really have nowhere else to be.” She finally added, biting her lip. “Nowhere to return.”

“... Sorry, I guess it’s pretty bad to think about that.” Said Lance. “I… I do have a home to go to, but… It also hurts a bit to think about it. It’s sorta pathetic to see a paladin of Voltron be all homesick, huh?”

(Name) shook her head, sliding down the wall to sit. Her wound hurt a bit at the movement, but not too much. Lance sat down, too, with a sigh.

“Not really. It’s good you haven’t lost all your sensibility out here.” Said (name), patting Lance’s shoulder. He wasn’t someone she knew well- but she’d been lonely for so long she was willing to trust anyone. “That… Those sort of feelings, it’s so easy to lose them when you’re separated for a while. But they aren’t bad.”

“Did you?” Blurted out Lance, his blue eyes digging into (name). “Did you… lose them?”

(Name) didn't reply immediately. She thought back on when she first left home to join some shady business in the streets. When she began taking riskier and riskier jobs. When she had to leave the country- and eventually her solar system. When she’d been alone for months. When had she stopped missing her family? When had she become indifferent to them?

“Yeah.” She said, casting her eyes down. “I… Guess I forgot how to be human for a while. Just set out to die and stuff. Being here was sort of an awakening to how weird I was acting.”

Lance didn’t reply, but he placed a hand on (name)’s shoulder. It wasn't a flirty action. It felt reassuring, like he wanted to hold her and let her feel at peace.

They sat there for a while, silent. Lance wanted to tell so much, about his family, his beautiful country, the pristine beaches; and at the same time he just wanted to sit there in silence. The ship rumbled a bit louder, and suddenly it felt like there was a slight change in pressure.

“Are we…?” Asked (Name), standing up.

“In the wormhole? Yup!” Said Lance, also standing. Whatever they’d been talking about died out, as if it hadn’t happened. “Let’s go to the control room! I wanna see this… T- Tehk… Cht’Xu…? Planet.”

He struggled a bit with the pronunciation, making (name) giggle (not that she had been correctly pronouncing it before either). A goofy smile splattered in his face, he offered (name) a hand.

“M’lady?” He said, snickering. (Name) laughed, accepting his hand as he then dashed to the control room, (name) trailing behind.

They burst into the control room, panting and still holding hands. Lance was smiling like an idiot, and (name) was holding back laughter- it was clear both of them had enjoyed their little game, but Keith just sighed.

“About time you arrived. We’re arriving soon.” Said Keith, arms crossed. Lance let go of (name)’s hand, without any shame, and (name) casually walked towards a window.

“... woah.” She breathed out, looking at the wormhole’s insides. The colors swirled together faster than ever, flying past faster than the eye could follow.

“Cool, right?” Asked Pidge, leaning back in her chair. (Name) nodded, still captivated by the view she’d only seen in a small, dingy window long ago. “I don’t understand too much how the Princess’s energy allows these to open up, but I’ve seen the teludav lenses used for this and I think I’ve got a pretty decent idea of how it breaks it down-”

(Name) listened quietly to everything Pidge said, not necessarily understanding but certainly entertained. Pidge seemed more than happy to be able to explain without having someone pipe in and tell her to simplify whatever she was saying, and soon enough the ship left the wormhole.

The sight of Tehk Cht’Xu left everyone speechless. Allura opened her mouth, like she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. (Name) put a hand on Pidge’s seat, trying to balance herself.

Tehk Cht’Xu was no more.

The waters had turned inky black, no forests in sight- large craters, clear scars of Galra particle weapons were laid plentifully across the barren surface. The last crumble of civilization was what seemed to be a large Galra ship parked in the dry land.

“... we’re late.” Murmured Coran, clutching the controls. 

“Not late. We… We could have never arrived soon enough.” Stuttered Allura, drinking in the sight of the dying planet. “This didn’t happen overnight- this has been going on since the beginning of the Galra’s conquering.”


	8. Retreating Isn't Necessarily Shameful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some stuff happens. Boom.

(Name) felt something bitter in her throat as she glanced at the planet. It looked like a dystopian movie setting, something so horrid and barren that was meant to inspire shock, but it wasn’t: it was an actual planet. A place where people should have lived.

“We have to go help.” Said Shiro, gaze hardened. Allura nodded, as if there was no other logical option.

“Wait- I’m all for helping, but… What’s the plan?” Asked Hunk, and (name) had to agree. She knew that Allura and Coran wanted nothing more than help a species that had been friends with the Alteans, but this… Voltron thing couldn’t just charge in.

“Well, the ship is clearly their main base.” Reasoned Pidge. “If we can get rid of it- or at least make them leave- we might have a chance to evacuate the people to a safe place.”

“I- I don’t know, the ship looks… Pretty big. I’m not sure if it’s a battleship, but…” gulped (name). The ship reminded her of the one she’d faced before, just… Bigger. 

“We don’t have a choice.” Said Keith, eyes hard. He seemed to be worried. “Let’s get to the lions. We’ll figure it out.”

“... Let’s go.” Said Shiro, and it was his words that sent the team going. 

(Name) sat down on the ship’s floor. She wanted to help- but she certainly wasn’t a paladin, and without a plan, it was better to stay put. Still, her heart was racing even as she saw the strange cat-like ships race towards the planet.

Soon, however, it was clear that whatever they were doing was not working. The ship, even while parked, fired of continuously and precisely, not giving the lions a chance to group up, or even fire. It was even targeting the castle ship, and if it weren’t for the particle barrier, it was likely the situation would be far worse.

“We can’t fire at it- the Lions are moving too much, we might hit them!” Hissed Coran, his hands on the controls. Allura seemed equally frustrated.

“(Name)- you don’t have to stay here-” groaned Allura, trying to target the ship without hitting the Lions. “- you can go to your room, or elsewhere-”

(Name) stood up, understanding Allura probably didn’t want her to see the losing fight. She left the room, eventually running to wherever her feet would take her.

And that was the hangar.

Tons of ships were there; just parked, ready to be used. Her heart was beating in her throat. The ship rumbled again, a faint alarm warning them about the lowering particle barriers. (Name) pursed her lips and jumped into the tiniest vessel she could find.

Altean controls, (name) would find, where not that different from the ones in her old trash ship- at least manageable enough for her to maneuver through the laser shots from the enemy ship.

“-- (name)? - (name)? What are you- doing?” A static-filled radio filled the silence of the tiny ship where (name) was. She pressed the button she guessed was ‘talk’.

“Princess,” she began, barely dodging a shot. “don’t worry. I’m just going to distract them so the paladins can do something.”

“(Name)? Get back on the ship!” Lance screeched through the radio. (Name) sighed, slowly approaching the parked ship while avoiding narrowly the shots that were sent her way.

“Listen, we marched here without a plan, now we have to win somehow.” She said, gulping. “I’ll distract them for a bit- enough for you to do something- then I run.”

“(Name), you’re going to get hurt, step down and go back.” Barked Shiro, and (name) laughed.

“You can’t really say that when even you’re a hair’s width away from being shot.” She replied. “I know how to pilot- just leave this to me and do something.”

The paladins argued some more- but there wasn't enough time. They could only dodge for so long, and (name) was certainly working as a distraction.

“Guys, this is our chance! They’re focusing on her!” Called Pidge the second she saw multiple canons face (name)’s way. “Quick!”

(Name) almost forgot how to dodge as she saw the Lions merge together. Her breath got stuck in her throat as she narrowly avoided a shot and observed the giant robot balance itself, then stand upright.

“Alright!” She cheered, preparing to go back. “I’m going back now- I trust you guys to end this.” 

Voltron drew its shield and sword, deflecting the ship’s cannon shots. It raised a heavy arm and sliced at the ship’s side, raising a cloud of smoke. The ship’s engines sputtered loudly- perhaps it was trying to lift off now that it was at disadvantage.

Though that turned to be the least of everyone’s worries when Coran yelled about an incoming object through the intercom. With just a glance, everyone realized what it was- in a pod, large, and cearly bad news, the beast landed about five miles away from the Galra ship.

“No! What the hell? A beast, now of all times?” Cried Lance, exasperated.

“Shit, they know we’re here.” Grumbled Keith. “We need to get rid of the ship to deal with the beast!”

The pod opened up, steam spilling out of it. Inside, there was an arguably organic creature, with cannons on its back. It cried out, hollow and loud, and began charging it’s canon.

“Paladins, move!” Called out Allura, as Voltron barely dodged a powerful blast. The crater it left on the ground was smoking, acid bubbles rising- whatever the laser was, it was no good news.

“Should we use the blaster?!” Asked Hunk, nervousness increasing.

“We have to get rid of this thing somehow, it’s worth a shot!” Replies Shiro, and Hunk shoved his bayard into the control board’s asignes connector.

The yellow blaster materialized on the robot’s shoulder, quickly target-locking onto the robobeast. It launched its rockets, swirling straight into the creature- until it jumped out of the way at the last moment.

“Oh crap, it’s fast!” Cried out Lance, doing his best to analyze the beast’s movements. 

The beast’s canon began charging again, and before Shiro had a chance to order anyone, the nearby Galra ship had managed to lift off, now targeting Voltron from the sky.

“We’re getting heavy fire on all flanks! Can the Castle take out the ship?” Asked Pidge, hands gripping the controls.

“We’re trying! Whatever the hell this ship was put here for, it can take a beating, that’s for sure!” Growled Coran from the intercom.

Between the robobeast’s constant firing and the now-airborne Galra ship firing at them, it was almost impossible to fight. The castle ship was assisting in all ways possible without getting into the robobeast’s range, but it seemed to be almost useless- Voltron didn’t have the advantage here.

“Paladins! It’s time for a retreat!” Cried out Allura as Voltron took a hit from the Galra ship. She hated the idea of leaving now, but the risk of losing their best weapon was not worth it.

“What- no! We haven't checked for people here yet!” Countered Keith, still busy trying to keep Voltron in one piece.

“Keith, not the time to talk back!” sneered Lance, although there was more worry in his voice than mocking. “We’re getting our robot ass handed back to us right now and if we want to be able to defeat Zarkon, we kinda need to be alive!”

As Lance said  that, one of the beast’s acid-infused laser shots barely missed Voltron. Pidge cried out, twisting the robot’s arm at the last minute to avoid it.

“Guys, this isn’t working! We really should retreat!” She cried out, glancing at the acid-bubbling crater the shot had left.

“Pidge’s right, this is not working.” Said Shiro, somewhat tense. “Paladins, retreat! Separate Voltron!”

Keith wanted to protest-  _ the Galra probably wouldn’t take (name)’s distraction a second time-  _ but he bit back his words. He guessed even though (name) risked her life out there, she must be ok with a retreat if she didn't feel it was of enough importance to speak against it on the intercom.

As soon as the lions were separated, it became just a bit easier to dodge the lasers and shots. The beast seemed to take a second more than before to choose one of the many targets to escape, and the Galra ship was slowly backing away, its shots becoming much less accurate.

When Keith’s lion finally got to the hangar, he let out a huff. He hated having to retreat on missions, hated having to do things a second time. He knew it was needed, and that they would probably be a thousand times better with a plan other than “let the new human draw the Galra’s attention”, but he still hated it.

His lion purred, albeit very softly- he’d found Red wasn't really that communicative, compared to Green or Blue, who Lance claimed was like ‘a close friend’ of sorts- but from time to time, there’d be little signals here and there. This was one of those times.

“... Even you think running was our best bet, huh?” Asked Keith, feeling the low vibrations of the Lion. “I guess it was. Hopefully we get a good plan so I can smash in there and get rid of the Galra in there.”

His Lion stopped purring, signaling the conversation was now over. Keith shrugged, patting the control board as if that were petting his lion, and hopped out. The rest of the paladins were also getting out of their lions, all looking somewhat troubled.


	9. So much to do so much to see so what's wrong with. y'know. with it,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i dont remember what happens here

“Is everyone ok?” Asked Shiro, taking off his helmet. 

“A bit shaken up, but perfect otherwise.” Said Lance, cracking a small smile. The atmosphere was heavy with the tension of a nearly-failed mission, and he didn’t want to add to it.

“Speak for yourself, your lion’s built for speed.” Groaned Hunk, a hand in his head- he was looking a bit pale. “Yellow took quite a beating there.”

Keith crossed his arms again, furrowing his brows. Each paladin quickly gave a summary of how much damage their lion had sustained; it seemed the black lion probably took the worst part, while the blue lion left unscathed. 

They all rushed to the control room, where Coran and Allura were waiting. From the displays on the holo screens, it was clear the castle hadn't been hit too badly- in fact, apart from decreased strength in the particle barrier, it was doing just fine. Still, Allura had a sour expression in her face.

“Paladins, take a seat.” Sighed Allura, rubbing her temples. “We need a better plan, now that Zarkon has sent a robobeast to add to our problems.”

“Yeah, no joke.” Whined Pidge, opening up her screen. “I don't know why or how right now, but that beast has a laser cannon that somehow shoots acid too. If we send (name) to distract it again, chances are she’ll just downright die as soon as she gets grazed by it.”

“Speaking of it- where's (name)?” Asked Lance, looking at the empty dining room chair that had been dragged to the control room.

“She probably left to her room after she returned.” Said Coran, still busy with typing away at the screens. “The princess asked her to leave the control room, mostly just so she didn't have to see the whole ordeal. I’d imagine she decided to not to come back right away.”

Pidge and Lance seemed dissatisfied with the casual dismissal, but there were bigger things in matter at the moment. Pidge suggested a scan of the planet to calculate where the Cth’Xu were, and soon enough they had the visuals.

“There’s… so few of them left.” Said Hunk, barely a whisper. There were indeed very little dots that represented the aliens, and the Galra ship- which had parked again- was blocked out from the scan. “Are they in the ship…?”

“I hope so.” Said Allura through gritted teeth. “This is terrible. We need to act fast. Pidge, have you figured out the beast’s weakness?” 

Pidge tapped around her screens, displaying a crudely made model- albeit understandable- of the robo beast in the middle of the room. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat.

“Logically, we should try attacking the canon- no exceptions. As soon as that’s out, it’s as good as defeated.” Said Pidge. “We need to lure it away from the ship- once there, me and Lance will distract it and try to make it focus only on us. Keith, Shiro and Hunk will attack from the back.”

“Meanwhile, Allura and I will scan the Galra ship and find an easy entrance to it.” Said Coran, nodding along. “Let’s just wait a few for the shield to be fully charged. We don't know if there’s any small fighter ships the Galra ship can deploy.”

With that, the paladins were dismissed- even if just for a while. It wouldn't be long until the shields were fully back in order, seeing as the damage they tool was minimal, so none of them bothered change out of their armor.

Keith found himself wandering along the hall that lead to (name)’s room. He hadn't meant to go there, but there he was. He glanced at the closed door- he should probably check if (name) was alright after the stunt she pulled.

He knocked on the door- no answer. He figured he should just turn around and leave, since (name) was probably sleeping or something. But still, he didn't want to leave her unchecked, after all, she’d just been out there flying in the middle of a metric fuckton of danger.

“I’m coming in,” he announced loudly so (name) would hear. He placed his hand on the panel- it opened the door, so he guessed it still had to be set up- and walked in.

The room was empty. Keith frowned, looking around. The door to the bathroom was open, revealing it to be empty, too. There were no personal belongings on the room, mostly since she had nothing of the sorts, and if it weren’t for some crumpled, old clothes and her armour strewn on the floor he’d never have guessed the room was in use.

He didn't want to intrude, so he didn't touch the armour or the clothes, after all, that wouldn't really give him a clue of where (name) was. Instead, he glanced at the bathroom- looking closer, there were bandages set on top of the sink counter and once he looked at the floor, there was a bit of a blood stain there.

“Wh- ok, I see.” Keith choked out, raising an eyebrow. Had (name) gotten hurt? Was this the aftermath of her recklessness? 

Keith crouched down to the floor. The blood stains looked a bit dry- certainly recent, but at least not immediate. He carefully touched the stain- though he couldn’t feel the texture through his suit’s material, it didn’t smear, meaning it was dry.

Which, in conclusion, meant that whatever injury (name) had sustained to leave that blood there, it certainly hadn’t been from leaving the castle. That sent some relief through Keith, and he unclenched a hand he hadn't even realized he’d been clenching.

“Keith? Buddy, where are cha?” Hunk’s voice buzzed through his helmet’s intercom. Keith stood up at one, momentarily pushing (name)’s injury aside from his mind.

“I’m just… Hanging around the castle. Are we leaving now?” Asked Keith, walking out of (name)’s room.

“Yeah, so hurry up Keithy boy!” Snickered Lance, and Keith just growled as he hurried up his pace, turning it into a jog towards the hangar.


	10. Is she sleeping. Is she roaming the halls. Who knows! (actually, Keith's got a clue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes issues would be solved if people just communicated and said "hey I think our new friend has a fresh bleeding wound and maybe we should check on her" but maybe I'm the dumb one here who knows

Once everyone was in their lions, Pidge quickly explained the plan again- Green and Blue distract the beast, everyone else attacks, then go into the Galra ship. It sounded easy, and it would probably have been if the robobeast wasn’t so fast and deadly.

“Ok, Lance, we break off formation here,” informed Pidge, as her lion separated from the formation. Lance followed right behind her.

“Everyone else wait here.” Ordered Shiro as he stopped a reasonable distance away from the robobeast’s back.

As expected, once the green and blue lions entered its field of vision, the beast went haywire. It fired its canon violently, chasing after the two lions, which dodged its attacks and slowly led it away from the nearby ship.

“Hey, when do you all start attacking?!” Asked Lance as he narrowly avoided an acid-charged blast. “Because this guy here is sooooorta stepping on my toes here.”

“Uh, yeah guys, now would be a good time to attack.” Said Pidge, struggling to doge. Her lion, even though sneakier, was undeniably slower than the blue lion- it was only a matter of time before a blast hit her.

“... Now! Let’s go!” Said Shiro, charging forth with his lion. Keith and Hunk followed, approaching the unsuspecting beast.

Lance knew the attacks had worked when the beast’s blasts suddenly became wonky- it was clearly caught off guard. Three lions firing and damaging it from behind had thrown it off balance, as it clunkily turned around to fire at them.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Said Lance, as his lion shot a blue beam at the beast’s canon. Ice formed on the canon and it’s base, immobilizing it.

“Now’s our chance!” Said Keith loudly, adrenaline fueling his actions. Each lion shot at the beast, which had been temporarily rendered vulnerable by Lance.

But when the canon managed to fire, the ice shattered easily. The beast was now enraged, firing with even more speed- it almost felt like fighting an overpowered turret. 

“If we form Voltron and use the blaster, maybe we can just put this thing out of commission for good!” Suggested Lance, still circling the beast and using his ice beam whenever he could. “It’s already screwed- it can’t even aim properly!”

It wasn't that Lance was wrong: it was undoubtedly true that the beast’s perfect, dead-on aim had decreased considerably. But a large target like Voltron would be different- easy to hit, slower to dodge.

“Wait, I think we should damage the laser even more,” added Pidge. “because whatever it is we’re doing now, it’s really sending the tracking system to hell and back.”

Keith didn't take his time; there was enough stress in his mind at the moment to allow himself to wait around. His lion fired a fiery ray in the beast’s general way, somehow managing to hit it. 

“That good enough?” Asked Keith, trying to suppress his frustration. As much as he was driven by it, when his anger was not caused by the mission at hand, he figured it was best not to spread it around the team.

“I think so, let’s do it!” Said Shiro. The lions quickly flew to his side, their systems interlocking. Every pilot felt their lions forming together, until the tell-tale roar of Voltron sounded mightily.

“Activate blaster!” Called Shiro. Hunk thrust his bayard into his lion at the command, the blaster quickly materializing on Voltron’s shoulder.

The blaster took aim automatically, and with the press of a button, it was firing heavily at the previously damaged beast. It screeched- for a brief moment, Pidge wandered how ‘alive’ those things were- before the canon on its back seemed to go dead.

“It’s pretty much dead now.” Said Lance, smiling smugly. 

Thankfully, the monster didn't have any hidden tricks under its sleeve- after a few more blows, it fell down, never to stand again. Everyone collectively sighed in relief as the beast slumped, finally dead.

“Oooh, that was… An experience.” Said Pidge, rubbing her head. She wasn’t that used to having her lion maneuver so much in such a tiny amount of space, and now her head was starting to hurt.

“Well done, paladins!” Said Allura. There was the distinct ring of pride in her voice: pride for the paladins, but undeniably, there was relief there, too.

“This calls for a celebration feast! Doesn’t it, buddy?” Called Lance, nudging the yellow lion with his own.

“Of course it does!” Chuckled Hunk, smiling widely. “Hey, maybe I can try to make (name)’s favourite food! Or, y’know, a space version of it. With what we have in the castle.”

Keith’s eyes widened as soon as Hunk mentioned the human girl. He completely missed whatever Lance was laughing about with Hunk (he sorta heard something about how he thought (name) would die if she had to eat more goo or something) because his worries suddenly started acting up again.

“Coran,” he asked, accidentally interrupting Lance’s story. “has (name) showed up yet?”

“No, but my best bet is that she’s in her room. Probably sleeping! I just ran a castle scan to check for damage and major storage rooms and the training deck are empty.” Said Coran. “The scan didn’t check on private chambers. It’s likely she just walked in and fell asleep.”

Coran’s words buzzed in Keith’s head. He knew too well why he worried so much, especially when he remembered the blood on (name)’s bathroom. Why he cared about her, though, he couldn't answer clearly. Maybe he just felt bad about what she’d gone through. He did know being isolated for even just a week or so could be terrible.

“I wouldn't be so sure.” Said Keith, prompting a curious hum from Coran. “I went to check on her before we came to attack again. Her room was empty.”

The voice chanel went silent for a while. Lance thought of cracking a “well, why where you going into a lady’s room huh?” joke, but something in Keith’s tone made him waver. Made him worry, ro an extent.

“Maybe she’s out walking in the halls.” Suggested Lance. She had mentioned she wanted to learn the castle’s layout, but even he found it odd she wouldn't check in with Allura and Coran after her little stunt. 

“... With that busted eye and a bleeding wound?” Asked Keith. Coran had said the bruising in her eye was no biggie, but it still was a wound of sorts.

“What bleeding wound?!” Asked Pidge, her voice raising. Her Lion, even though still formed with Voltron, purred lowly to comfort her.

“In her room- there was blood. In the bathroom. It was dry, but not really old. Bandages were out, too.” Explained Keith, his worries slowly spreading around the team. “I don’t know how, but she probably got hurt in the castle before the mission.”

Everyone seemed to stop and think. The lions themselves dissolved Voltron, leaving the paladins to think. Coran suddenly gasped.

“The training room activated itself yesterday,” said Coran, face going a bit pale. Even though the paladins could not see his worry, it was evident in his face. “I thought it was just the system acting up, but maybe someone… Maybe (name) accidentally started a training session?”

“That’s impossible.” Said Allura, who was starting to calm down after the battle. She disliked fights where she couldn't do much from the castle, but it had still been tough to watch those near-hits at the lions. “Training sequences won’t start themselves without a voice command.”

“... Unless someone forgot to end their training sequence.” added Hunk, slowly piecing together what could have happened in his head. “Who was the last one to use the deck?”


	11. We're Breaking Into The Ship Yall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> have i made it a point this big project was practically abandoned? honestly i don't remember so: THIS GALRA PROJECT WAS PRACTICALLY ABANDONED WHICH IS WHY THE BIGGEST SETBACK WAS THE ROBOBEAST AND NOT THE ACTUAL GALRA FIGHTERS

“...” Keith sucked in a breath as he recalled the past days. He had been training- in fact, Level 1 had just started- when Allura called. He… Just left the deck. He didn't call the session off. “I… I did it. I didn’t end my training. It’s possible that… (name) did walk in there by accident.”

Keith felt somewhat terrible. The lions had been parked for a good amount of time as the paladins talked with Coran and Allura, and when Coran checked the footage from the training deck, it confirmed his fears.

From what Coran and Allura described, it has gone like this: (name) walked into the room in her old armour, nightgown in hand. The system automatically detected someone in the room and resumed the training. (Name) managed to hold off the bot until level 2 began. Then, (name) tried to run and got stabbed. Finally, she managed to leave.

Allura promised she’d go look for (name) while the paladins infiltrated the stationary Galra ship. She was now worried- she'd not invited (name) aboard to let her get hurt and lost in the castle ship.

Meanwhile, Coran had found no easy ways into the ship. Meaning that it was now up to either let Pidge use the invisibility on her lion to check from closer and then go in without their lions, or charge in with their lions.

They chose to go by the first option. Thankfully, Pidge was able to find a small opening guarded by a few guards, and soon enough, the whole team had those guards dead and they were in. 

“Holy crap, that's a lot of hallways.” Said Lance as he peeked in, glancing at the splitting hallways.

“We need to find the prisoners. Let’s split- Hunk, you and me go right. Lance, Pidge and Keith go left.” Said Shiro. “I placed at least one person who could override some cells in each group, but if any of us find the prisoners first, let the others know immediately.”

Hunk seemed a bit hesitant to have to leave Lance and Keith in a team- but considering that they had Pidge with them, he figured it’s be alright. He was also counting his lucky stars that he knew enough to force-open a door and it’s system- he’d hate it if he had to tell Shiro that wasn’t something he could do.

“Alrighty then!” Cheered Lance, his smile ever present. He gripped his bayard and turned to his team. “Let’s wrap this up quickly!”

“Wait, Shiro, is splitting up here a good idea? We have no layouts for the ship.” Said Keith, side-eyeing Lance. Shiro sighed.

“If we go in group, it’ll take longer and we’ll be caught faster. Besides, this place looks pretty empty for now, so if there's as few guards around the place as it seems, we'll be fine.” Said Shiro. 

The team split up as told, and soon enough, they were carefully walking down the halls. Shiro and Hunk seemed to find less guards on their way, while team Lance-Keith-Pidge had less luck.

“Stay back,” hissed Lance as he peeked around a corner. The guards had their back faced to them; this was a perfect opportunity to show off his sharpshooter skills.

“You’re going to alert them all, dont.” Replied Keith, about ready to dash in with his sword. Lance acted fast.

Three guards, three shots: Lance felt incredibly badass. His quick aiming and fast adjusting let him take down the three guards before they even realized what had happened. Keith stood there, mouth agape as he held his sword in his hand.

“Woah.” Said Pidge, patting Lance’s back. “That was waaaay cooler than expected.”

“Thank you, thank you.” Smirked Lance, bowing as a joke. Keith just awkwardly mumbled an agreement and kept walking.

“Wouldn’t kill ya to say it was hella cool, Keithy-man.” Said Lance as he caught up with Keith. Pidge walked a bit behind them, guarding their backs.

“We don't have time for that.” Said Keith, bayard tightly gripped.

Walking for a while and taking a few educated and wild guesses on which halls to turn seemed to draw on for hours. Hunk and Shiro sometimes reported they’d found nothing yet, apart from one or two guards. 

“Wait, do you guys hear that?” Pidge suddenly halted, narrowing her eyes. “It’s coming from that… Door? Is that a door?”

There seemed to be a small difference between the wall and the panel-like object. There was a chance it could be a door, just not one like they’d seen before. Pidge carefully examined it.

“A secret door?” Suggested Lance, inching closer. He wouldn't have thought to mention the weird material change in the walls if Pidge hadn't heard noise coming from there.

With a bit of looking, Pidge was able to find a small screen. Luckily, as she said, the whole thing was “all bark and no bite”, as she was able to unlock the door with ease.

Stepping back, she looked as the door slid open. Everyone drew their bayards, prepared to open fire in case there was a threat behind the door, but nothing shot at them.

“... Hunk, Shiro?” Murmured Lance, bayard slowly lowered. “I… I think we found something, guys.”

The sight into the hidden room was chilling. Fog seemed to roll around the floor, swirling along. There were large pods all around the room, with large tubes connecting them to the ceiling.

Carefully, the three of them walked into the room, noticing the sudden change in temperature as they walked in. It was  _ cold  _ as fuck. Lance raised a hand to one of the pods and wiped away some of the fog.

“ _ Jesúcristo!”  _ He screeched as he scrambled backwards. Pidge and Lance quickly rushed to his side.

“Lance?! What’s up- oh.” Pidge quickly realized what was wrong as she looked up at the pod. There was a creature inside- it fit the image of a Cht’Xu as Corran had described them- but it looked… Wrong. It’s tail was limp, the color had drained from its scales, and its eyes were glassy and open.

“Are they alive?” Asked Keith in a whisper. 

“No idea.” Replied Pidge. She pursed her lips and turned her back to the grotesque sight. “Let’s look around for a control board or something.”

Everyone agreed, and soon, they were looking around the room. Pidge felt like the whole place was just a maze made of pods- of pods filled with half-dead, questionably alive aliens.

“Wait, what was it you found, guys?” Asked Hunk through the intercom. Pidge was about to answer, but Keith beat her to the punch. 

“A lab of sorts or something,” said Keith. His voice sounded overlapped- it was both playing in Pidge’s headset and she could hear it in the room. “There’s Ch… Chx… There’s aliens here.”

“The Cht’Xu are in pods in some sort of freaky dead-or-alive state,” clarified Lance. His voice also sounded doubled through her ears and headset.

Hunk and Shiro kept asking questions about where they were and how to get there, but Pidge was too occupied to listen or answer.

Finally, she found a control panel of sorts. It was connected to a larger pod- it was the largest one in the room. She was shocked by the lack of guards, but paid it no mind as she started typing into the console. 


	12. Discoveries That Maybe You Don't Like

The pods seemed to hum and light up- somewhere in the room, Lance yelped out of surprise before Pidge yelled for him not to worry. 

“What is this place…?” She wandered, looking at the screens. All Galran. She’d need to take it to the castle to pass it through her translator. 

Finally, she managed to make something significant happen. The large pod the console was attached to hummed to life- and the fog-covered glass cleared up. Pidge’s throat ran dry and her hands froze.

“... I found (name).” She said, voice shaky.

Inside the large pod was an unmistakably human figure held in thick liquid. Many wires- possibly some Galran-type IV drips too- were attached to her body. Her hair was floating, her skin was riddled with bruises, and once she looked closely, there was a nasty scar on her stomach. 

“What?!” Lance barked into the intercom, rushing to where he heard Pidge’s voice. Keith hurried, too.

“What is she doing there?!l” Coran cried out, his voice strained through the intercom. 

Everyone was talking. Allura had connected at some point- Pidge could hear her, Coran, Shiro and Hunk talking with worried voices. She could hear them, but she couldn't listen. Not when she had to drink in the sight in front of her.

(Name)’s skin looked pale. It was sickly, and the veins in her hands were almost glowing- and that was when it dawned on Pidge. The constant noise of her helmet was drowned out as she felt her knees buckle at the sight.

(Name). The girl she’d just met, who she'd just learnt had left her home and was ready to die- who she thought that her team and her had valiantly rescued- was in a Galra pod, with wires attached to her, full of bruises and the undeniable fact that whatever was being injected into her was  _ quintessence. _

Pidge could suddenly remember the words on those files about quintessence as clear as day. [ _ experimenting with forcing quintessence into unwilling species has wielded many results.]  _ The words poured into her mind as she stared [ _ usually, most experience pain (thrashing around, convulsing) and then death]  _ and she was starting to feel dizzy. Quintessence. (Name) was being injected raw quintessence [ _ in rarer cases, they live on with severe disabilities]  _ and Pidge knew nothing good could have led up to it.

“Pidge! What are you- just, disconnect her!” Cried out Lance, standing next to Keith, who was now shaking Pidge’s shoulder. The shorter girl hadn’t even noticed Keith approach her-  _ hell,  _ she had completely missed everything that her team had said in the past minutes. “Do something! Pidge, react!”

And Pidge wanted to. She wanted to stop whatever was happening to (name), what had probably been going on for hours now. How long had it been since they’d lost (name) from their sight…? Had it been long enough to cause long lasting damage? Pidge’s mind was racing thoughts so fast her body couldn’t even respond.

“Pidge,” Lance put a hand on her shoulder. Oh, he was there; she hadn't even noticed. Her eyes were still glued to the figure in the pod, clad only in what appeared to be her underwear, showcasing the bruises and scars on her flesh. “Pidge, please answer us. Are you ok? Pidge?”

“I’m fine.” Her body finally responded. She drew in a breath and quickly went back to typing into the console. “I- forget what happened. I don't understand what this whole room is, but it’s apparently something along the lines of a quintessence-injecting room or something.”

“There's no time for guessing what the room is for! Turn this thing off!” Keith said, his nerves wracked. There was something about the sight of (name), her veins swollen, so easy to see through the skin, that sickened and scared him to a personal level.

“I’m trying!” Said Pidge, typing as fast as ever. Not speaking Galran made using a Galra keyboard that much harder, but since she had hooked her little arm-keyboard the situation was just slightly easier. Not as fast as she wanted, though.

Meanwhile, Allura and Coran instructed Shiro and Hunk to get to the room with Pidge, Lance and Keith: the castle ship’s scanners still couldn't scan the Galra ship, so they had to rely on the previous instructions that they’d been given by their team to get there. Now that they'd found their guest there, everyone was in a hurry to find a way to fix the whole thing- they'd stumbled into something horrible, it seemed.

[Name] didn't look peaceful, even as she slept inside the container. Her face wasn't molded into any set expression, but there was something in it that echoed pain- pain that was ongoing and demanded to be felt. Her skin looked pale and ghostlike, unhealthy so as her veins bulged against it, swollen and abused by needles and injections. Bruised seemed to blossom throughout her body like flowers, becoming darker in clusters around her shoulders and legs, and having a few deep purple bruisings along her arms. A nasty wound was set in her abdomen, not bleeding, but definitely not healed. 

“Done! Come on- work!” Hissed Pidge as she finished overriding the machine’s security protocol and began to drain the pod.

[Name] floated down unceremoniously, wires disconnecting as the liquid level went down. Everyone watched with an anxious breath as she slowly reached the bottom of the pod, and then a small door into the pod that had previously blended seamlessly into the glass opened with a hiss. Lance immediately ran over, followed by Keith.

“We’re here! We’re here- what happened?!” Hunk’s out of breath voice called from the entrance to the room, followed by Shiro’s panting. Pidge put down her arm and quickly moved over to them, somewhat familiar with the layout.

“It’s- we found them. The Cth’Xu…. and [name].” She said, hands still shaky. “I mean- you already know that because I said it into the intercom’s open channel but I thought some live briefing would help you-”

“Pidge.” Shiro put an arm to her shoulder, eyes narrowed but still gentle. She stopped talking and took a deep breath. “Calm down, ok? Take us there.”

Pidge obliged, guiding Hunk and Shiro through the maze of pods. Pidge duly noted that the Cth’Xu’s pods were not draining as [name]’s had, which probably meant there was another control panel somewhere. She groaned internally- by the time she managed to get all the questionably alive aliens, whatever measly guards the ship had left would have arrived.

“Keith, Lance! Is she okay?” Shiro’s tone made her snap out of her daydreams. The older man was rushing to the two teen’s side to help them hoist the unconscious girl up.

“Is- what happened?” Hunk asked between his uneasy glances. Pidge felt bad for the guy; in such a cramped space along maybe-dead-maybe-alive aliens pickled in what seemed to be Quintessence vinegar or something, he was probably having a bad enough time without seeing his new friend also pickled in the Quintessence juice and beaten up.

“They were injecting her with it.” Replied Pidge, worriedly tapping her foot against the ground. “I… She might be fine. I hope.”


	13. Conclusions are Though But You Gotta Get 'Em

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes we don't like the truth but hey

After it was decided Hunk would carry [Name], everyone began to look for ways to save the Cth’Xu in the pods, to no avail. The more they looked, the more it seemed like there was no way to free them, until Keith decided the best way to get them out was by breaking a pod- except that whatever stumbled out of the pod was  _ not  _ alive.

“Oh, gross! It smells rotten!” Cried out Hunk, and Pidge scrunched her nose. 

“Ugh, it’s- it’s dead alright.” She said, grimacing. “... I think they’re all dead from an overdose on Quintessence. Who knows for how long they were here? [Name] was only here for a few hours at most, and look at her…”

Coran and Allura called them back after Galra soldiers came pouring into the room (and Hunk swore some of those had been lucky survivors from the squads he and Shiro had brought down  before). Lance took care of them along with Keith rather quickly- but the two Alteans didn't seem to want the team to meddle there for longer.

“Hunk buddy, how’s [name] doing?” Asked Lance as he boarded his lion. Blue roared too, as if asking the same question.

“She’s resting in the back. Yellow’s got some good space, so she won't be cramped.” Answered Hunk. “She… hasn't woken up, but she’s breathing. That’s good, right?”

“It is. I don't remember if she had an oxygen mask in that pod, but it’s always best to see her body adapt to the change in environment so fast.” Said Pidge, also climbing into her lion.

“Why do you care so much about her, Lance? It’s not like she’s one of those random aliens you flirt with.” Spat out Keith. He didn't like to see Lance suddenly act to interested in [name]- for all he knew, the boy had no interest other than to bother her as he sometimes did to him.

“I’m not flirting though? It’s called being friends, my guy! Caring for your friends, y’know, like a normal person?” Sneered Lance in response.

“ _ I  _ care about my friends!” Keith barked back. The argument would have gone on, if it hadn't been due to everyone getting to the castle and having to leave their lions to put [name] on a healing pod and talk to Allura & Coran.

The atmosphere was unbearably tense. Everyone seemed to feel some sort of guilt at what they’d just seen, with [name]’s battered body fresh on their minds. It was different than the guilt felt when something went wrong on a technical level; it was a heavy and pulsating, stabbing at their conscience.

“... It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Sighed Keith. He was downcast and wringing his hands nervously, sitting down on a step on tue healing pod room.

“It’s not- it’s not something we can blame on a single person.” Said Allura with pursed lips. “If [name] was taken, probably as she retreated from her distraction, then it’s nobody’s fault.”

“She- she got stabbed because of me!” Said Keith. He clenched his fists, taking in a shaky breath. “How long is she stuck in the pod now…?”

“I’d say two or three vargas.” Replied Coran, arms crossed and sullen expression on his face. “Though I do not know… How much will heal, considering what the damage was. Keith, she’ll be ok! I’m sure I can patch her up if the pod doesn’t manage to get her entirely!”

“She was… only there for some time. An hour at most.” mumbled Pidge, inhaling deeply. “The damage- it shouldn’t be too much. Oh god, but what if it is? Coran, what do we do if she’s permanently hurt? Wait- no, ok, if she needs help after this, I can make, uh, a wheelchair, or-”

“Pidge, calm down.” said Hunk, putting a hand on the shorter girl’s shoulder. “Of course that we’ll help [name] as much as we can, and if that’s making a space wheelchair or something, we can work on it. But for now, let’s think that everything will come out fine.”

“I’m… I have to go.” Said Keith, shaking his head. He couldn’t take it- even if Allura said that it wasn’t his fault, how was he supposed to believe that? In his mind, he’d fucked up; the proof was right in front of him. Bruised, battered, and unconscious inside a healing pod.

Lance tried to at least make him star for a bit longer, but it was fruitless. He walked out, the door closing behind him as he marched away.

“I should go talk to him.” sighed Lance. “He’s… Pretty upset. I mean- I am, too, but… Y’know…”

“Give him a while,” said Hunk, patting Lance’s back. “He might need to blow off some stress, and maybe sleep or something.”

Lance plopped back down on the floor, pressing his lips into a thin line. The healing pod where [name] was stuffed into was working with a low hum, harmonizing with the soft machinery noises the ship produced. He rubbed his neck, sighing. He knew what Allura had said- it was nobody’s fault- but… Was it truly that way? Maybe if he had talked to [name] and made sure she stayed on the ship…

“... Well, guys, we can’t stay here for three hours.” said Pidge. She still looked pretty shaken from everything, but she took the initiative. “We need to talk about the mission… And- ugh, look over the quintessence documents. Maybe… There’s something we can use for [name] there.”

She looked pained, as did everyone, but maybe just more disturbed. She’d been the first one to find [name], after all. And just thinking humans captured by the Galra were treated, seeing Shiro and [name], filled her with the slightest sense of unshakeable fear she could not shake off. She needed to be busy, to distract her mind, and staring at the battered and beat up woman inside the healing pod was not doing it for her.

“Pidge’s right, guys.” mumbled Hunk. “We need to get moving, or we’ll have nothing to help [name] when she’s out of the pod.”

Coran set a timer for everyone to check back on [name], and they left (hesitantly) to the control room to maybe find something else on what to do. There was also a discussion hanging in the air, the heavy topic of the possible extinction of the Cth’Xu in general; and basing by how empty the ship was, and that the only specimens found had been long-since dead, it was a logical conclusion. Not one they liked, but the only one they could reach.

“... They’re gone, Coran.” said Allura. “The Galra… Wiped out the Cth’Xu.”

“I...I guess that isn’t something too out of character for them, huh…?” replied Coran, downcast. “It makes sense this base would be so empty, then… My best guess is that it was being abandoned due to a lack of subjects.”

“This is horrible.” said Hunk, looking sadly at the destroyed planet. “The old photo looked so lively, I wouldn’t have thought… A planet could be reduced to something so miserable.”

“The files don’t mention any other species tested on.” piped in Pidge. “In fact, it doesn’t even mention anything about Zarkon trying more projects or…. Anything, really.” 

“At least they don’t do this anymore, huh…?” asked Lance, more to lighten up the atmosphere than to make a point. He put on a goofy smile, his usual trademark, but it did very little to help. “... Yeah.”

They silently read, and then discussed a bit; there wasn’t much to actually say. The planet was done for, destroyed and barren. The people who lived there were donezo, gone and never to come back. It was rough and gritty, and hit close to home to Allura and Coran, but that was what it was. The mission ended with a maimed guest, and the discovery that a species was no more.


	14. Hey Buddy Lemme Tell Ya About Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith doesn’t know how to comfort people but he manages.

Keith didn’t know what the rest of the team was talking about- and frankly, he did not care at all. His head was buzzing with thoughts he didn’t want and he couldn’t settle down for a second.

He could not stay still. His body was itching for him to do something- anything- to somehow make the situation all right, but... What was there to do? He couldn’t go back in time and un-stab [name] back at the training deck. He sure as he’ll couldn’t rewind and shove her back into the castleship before she got captured.

His feet led him back to the healing pods- luckily, the rest of the team had long since left for a debriefing. He liked them, don’t get him wrong; but right now he needed to be alone and try to come to terms with the situation and the fact he’d played a major part in letting [name] put one foot on the grave.

He sat down in front of her pod, watching the fogged up glass. At least she looked at ease in there. He would have felt infinitely worse if her face were to be stuck in an expression of distress like back when she first stepped into a medical pod. Luckily, her peaceful face looked relaxed and almost... Fine. Like if she’d just gone to sleep and would wake up ok in a few minutes.

A hissing sound made him nearly jump out of his skin.

For whatever reason, the pod was opening- far earlier than when Coran had said it would- and he was the only one in the room. Panic flooded his body, as he struggled to find what to do.

“... You’re ok.” She spoke up as she stumbled out of the pod. She nearly tripped, falling into his arms, and he felt his body tense up.

“I’m... I’m so sorry.” He said, as she slowly balanced herself back up. She looked ok- her bruises seemed to be all gone, but her eyed were... Odd. “... Your eyes, they’re...”

She blinked once, and then twice- her vision wasn’t gone or anything. Just weird. It was like looking through a tunnel; barely noticeable to see a change, but when she thought about it, they definitely had something weird.

“I... Yeah, they’re a bit... Well, they’re ok.” She said, breathing in deeply. Her body was numb, but not painful; which was great because her last memories were of being in a lot of pain.

“They’re yellow.” Said Keith plainly, face contorted in curiosity and worry. “The- the white part. It’s yellow.”

“What?” [Name] asked, putting a hand to her eye. She turned to a pod, gazing at her reflection- appart from her hair being a mess and her black eye gone, her scleras were yellow. Much... “Oh great, I look like a Galra with pupils...”

“... It had to be that quintessence.” Said Keith, gazing sadly at [name]. She was blinking and rubbing her eyes, as if they itched. “Maybe... A medical pod could... take them back to normal?”

“Wasn’t I in a healing pod, though?” Asked [name], finally deciding to leave her eyes alone. It was weird and off-putting, and to be fair she was freaked out; but... She was alive. That was what mattered. “Let’s just leave that... be.”

She didn’t seem to take it so bad, all things considered. The more Keith tried to apologise for letting her get hurt, she’d just shut him down- apparently she had no interest in being annoyed with him at all.

“I- I got you stabbed, I didn’t even think you didn’t make it back to the castle, and now- ugh, now your eyes are yellow.” He said, biting his lip. “You... You can get angry. I think I deserve to be blamed.”

“Horseshit.” She said, patting him on the back. “Let’s just go to the others, all right?”

“How are you so calm?!” Keith asked bringing a hand to his forehead.

His head was ringing. He’s been so worried- he’d been guilty of so much of what happened to [name]- and she didn’t want to even get annoyed. Why? His throat burned as if he’d downed sour medicine, and he felt his body tense.

“Because I have to be!” Replied [name], tensing her back like a cat protecting itself. “If I came out of there crying- if I decided to show you I was fucking terrified- then everyone gets scared! I can’t- I can’t risk lowering the morale just because I couldn’t keep my emotions in check, damnit!”

“... You’re crying.” Whispered Keith, eyes wide.

[Name] covered her mouth immediately, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just said. Her shoulders were shaking slightly, eyes wide. She hadn’t blinked, but the tears had built up enough to begin sliding down her cheeks without a push.

“I’m- I...” she said softlt, immediately wiping her eyes to get rid of the tears.

Keith awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder. He honestly had no idea what to do at a moment like that. He knew what [name] was talking about- the team was shaken enough without her bursting into tears- but shit, she couldn’t just internalise all that, right?

“Um... Hey. We can wait a while before we go back,” said Keith. “I think you should... Let it all out. Before you go back.”

“... Yeah. Sorry about this.” Sniffled [name], plopping down and resting her back to the pod she’d been in.

Keith followed suit, sitting down next to her. She took in a shaky breath, and put an arm around him- it seemed reflexive, almost, and even though he was absolutely not used to that, he didn’t brush her off.

“I was- god, I was so scared. They took me, they shot down my shitty ship and when they got me... They knocked me out.” She said, eyes closed and shoulders shaking. “It hurt so much. I- I don’t know what they did, but...! It hurt. It was... like fire, and, and electricity too- fuck, I still feel numbed from it.”

She looked so vulnerable, so open, and it shocked Keith. She was so close, he could feel her body temperature- which was oddly cold. Her arm around him held him close, but it didn’t feel possessive at all. If anything, it felt like she needed someone to hold on to, or else she’d just crumple down and cry.

“It’s ok now.” He said. Keith was not used to comforting other people. He didn’t know what to say to make [name] feel better, or if he should say anything at all, so he limited himself to do what he’d seen people do in movies before- he held [name] closer (which was something he’d never done before) and tentatively stroked her head.

Time was relative when crying. [Name] had no idea how much she cried on Keith’s arms, or how much she actually said- but at one point, the tears just wouldn’t come anymore, and she seemed to sober up a bit.

It felt weird to let [name] go, but Keith wouldn’t admit it. Was it weird to say he felt somewhat comfortable when she was laying on his arms, and he could feel her constant cold? It had to be weird, probably. He shrugged that off and followed [name] to meet the team.


	15. The Most Intense Pains Can Always Be Summarized With "yah it didnt feel too g8"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *gets stabbed three hundred times* mmm i just brushed against a stranger and i guess i scratched my skin a bit haha

“-as I was saying, if we want to have a chance at recovering the planet-!” Coran’s talking was brought to an abrupt stop as the door to the main room. The paladins and Allura stopped their miscellaneous activities they were partaking in to maintain themselves occupied, heads snapping to the door.

“[Name]! Keith!” Lance almost tripped over himself as soon as he saw the two people walking in, rushing to get close. He stumbled to a stop, putting his arms on [name]’s shoulders, eyes wide. “Are you ok?!”

“Apart from being pickled in alien juice? I’m dandy.” said [name], smiling. Keith glanced at her- her eyes were a bit puffy from her previous breakdown, but apart from that, there was nothing that would hint at the others she’d been horribly scared if she kept her posture.

“[name]!” Pidge called, pushing the screens aside and jumping down from her chair to hug the girl. [Name] seemed to be shocked for a mere second, before chuckling and hugging Pidge back. “Also you’re my friend and everything but god please never say the words alien juice in a sentence if you’re not talking about actual drinks.”

It wasn’t time for happy jokes or such, though, and everyone knew that. Pidge and Keith stepped back, to their designated chairs- Lance seemed to be more hesitant, not leaving [name]s side until Allura called for order- but quickly enough, [name] was up on the front explaining what had happened. It felt like being back in school, in the front of the class, doing a show and tell on some miscellaneous thing like a book or something, with all eyes on her. Except it wasn’t a class, it was a team of skilled pilots who were on the rebellion against the Galra empire, and she wasn’t talking about her favourite book, rather her alien abduction experience from an alien ship to another alien ship where she was stuffed in a tank.

“Did they say anything about what they did to you?” asked Coran. He’d been doing most of the talking, asking questions about what had happened, while Allura was oddly silent. [name] shifted her weight from one foot to the other; it was hard to remember.

“Not… really? I guess they mentioned the quintessence stuff, but, uh, I’m not, really spazzing out or loosing my mind, so I think I’m ok.” said [name]. She looked straight at Coran- god, it was so weird to look at someone with her eyes now- they focused well enough (in fact, maybe too well?) to whatever was in front of her, but everything to the sides was, fuzzy? Just slightly, not too much, but definitely not as focused as it was before. “I, er, I’m a bit cold and my eyes look like I’m a super alcoholic whose liver gave up- but, I feel ok.”

“Just to get this clear- your liver is ok, right?” Piped up Hunk, and [name] nodded quickly. Damn her poor sense of humour and poorly timed self-deprecating jokes, making her new friends think that she had somehow managed to pickle her liver on her long and lonely journey with water and crackers.

“[name].” Shiro spoke up, breaking away from her internal turmoil over her ill-timed joke. He had a worried look in his eyes, like a teacher watching a student who just fell and scraped their knee. He stood up, as if for emphasis, and looked at her straight in the eyes. “I know you are taking this relatively well, and I’m glad, but we need for you to be clear here. Please tell us what happened as you remember it, everything- and the physical and mental changes you are experiencing.”

[Name] blinked her eyes in surprise, flinching in then slightest. God, Shiro had read her like a book, but she felt like he might be making too big a deal of things. She looked at Keith, who just shrugged softly, and mouthed ‘he’s a worrywart deep inside’ or something along those lines. [name] steeled herself once again, and retold the story she’d previously sobbed into Keith’s shoulder, but with less tears and more jokes wherever she could sneak them in.

“... So yes, I was unconscious for portion of this  whole mess. And I guess the bad part of quintessence being the most powerful fuel or whatever the hell is that being dipped in it is not fun? I dunno how diluted the thing I was on was, but yeah, even though I was knocked way into dreamland I still felt like I was burning and being constantly shocked.” explained [name]. 

There was no reason to go deeper. That was the truth. Keith knew it was the truth- she’d been dipped in alien fun dip powder that has a lot of energy and her body temperature got cold and her eyes went yellow. It’s not like they needed to know that being there brought horrible nightmares, her closed eyes projecting writhing shadows bubbling up memories that she could not tell if they were fake or real, the feeling of floating emptily in a void while being surrounded by a thousand monsters waiting to lunge at the scent of her panic.

Likewise, they didn’t need to know that it felt like she was burning up, like if her body had been flung into the sun. The feeling of a horrible, searing heat tearing her apart from her skin to her organs, as if her own blood was replaced with scalding red magma and her very own heart was the furnace that prolonged the pain, and she would try and end the pain, but being unable to move, as if her body was being run through with an electric current that simultaneously killed her every nerve and made her hyper-aware of everything she felt and- oh, god, she’d take a thousand grizzly deaths before having to feel like her own organs were boiling and tearing her skin like that again. That had felt like weeks, but… It didn’t seem to be like she was gone for so long.

“Yeah I guess you could say I felt a bit warm and it was a bit fuzzy with electricity in there?” said [name]. “I was really asleep so I guess I did dream a bit, but… Yeah.”

“Your eyes…? Are they ok for real, or can you like, look in the dark now or something?” asked Hunk. [name] shrugged, smiling sheepishly. Now that was something she’d rather talk about over searing pain that felt eternal.

“I don’t think so…? My pupils are the same as before, I think. I have this weird hyperfocused tunnel vision though.” said [name]. “Feels like I’m looking through the scope of a rifle through both eyes.”

Shiro made her run through the events one more, Coran piping up here and there to maybe reason what could have happened based on the evidence seen on the ship, but it wasn’t of much use. [name] didn’t know much about the Galra apart from the fact she’d been running from them for way too long, and besides, that base was down for what it was worth after Voltron attacked, so it was decided it was not worth to grill [name] over too much before dismissing everyone for the meanwhile.

Everyone left the room slowly, most of them after talking to [name] for a second and making sure she was ok for themselves. Shiro in particular seemed to be the most worried, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking her to the eye, asking for her to please seek him if she needed to say something or just needed help, and left. Pidge, Keith, Hunk, and Lance, just apologized a thousand times, insisting that they felt responsible for her injuries (to which she reminded she was the once who went out in the first place), and Coran offered a trip to the medbay to get into a pod again- which [name] refused immediately.

“... Princess Allura?” she was the only one left there apart from [name]. It felt wrong to just walk out when she hadn’t even said a word, compare to how inviting and friendly she had been when she first met her. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Ah- [name], I didn’t say-!” the princess seemed somewhat surprised, taken off guard almost, when [name] walked up to her without being prompted.

“I... No, no, you didn’t say it. But it seems everyone here thinks that, and, uh… Well, you were really silent.” said [name], smiling awkwardly and looking out the large windows. “You told me it wouldn’t be safe and I stuck through, plus, I did kind of sneak out, so…”

“No. Please don’t say that.” said Allura. Her voice was gentle and steady, but she locked her gaze down, as if trying to hide her expression. “I know it’s natural to blame oneself when tragedy strikes, but… Ah, I’m almost afraid this will sound self-centered if I say it.”

“Go on, please. I’ve been running my mouth about myself and my wild little story here for a wild, hearing someone talk about themselves will be music to my ears.” said [name]. She wasn’t too sure if she should be so casual with actual real royalty, but… She didn’t know how to show Allura she wasn’t angry if she kept acting cautious and super respectful.

“I… How am I supposed to protect a kingdom if I can’t keep one single person safe?” asked Allura, her voice wavering. [name] turned her gaze from the starry expanse and to the dark skinned beauty. “I lost my family and my people, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I thought, maybe, that I’d be able to at least protect you- a newcomer, someone who had nothing to do with this mess, but…”

“Fair point, but you did kinda save me from dying of starvation.” said [name]. Allura looked back up to her- her eyes weren’t puffy or filled with tears, but she was clearly distressed. “You’re doing a great job here as a priness as far as I can tell? Like, I’ve seen leaders do far worse with smaller groups of people, and those leaders were chosen by the people. You were born and thrust into this without much of a choice, and I guess you must be super stressed because you just said your family died and your people are gone? Like, I actually left my planet because I was a bit too stressed and you’re here handling all this too well?”

“I- oh, well, I see… You have quite an odd, but rather effective way with words, [name].” said Allura, her eyes softening. [name] chuckled- she’d definitely rambled a bit there, but it seemed the princess got her message. “I’m flattered you think I’m handling this well. I… Well, I don’t think that I’m being all too great, but… Well, your words do mean a lot as someone who we just lost and saved.”


End file.
